Just Enough Time
by AlexBlackWeasley
Summary: Kaylani Māhealani knew moving to Beacon hills was going to be an adventure, but when hunting down old friend Derek Hale turns into finding out this little thing called 'fate' has more in plan for her than she'd ever imagined, what can she do but fall in love with one quirky Stiles Stilinski? A Season 3B story with a witchy twist.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I would like to let you know that this is the first time I've ever attempted a Teen Wolf story. And due to the rush I am currently in to get this up (it's 11 pm right now and I have to be up in 6 hours for work), this chapter is unedited. I would love to see what you think of this story so far. Also, I always forget to describe my Ocs outfits, so if you go to my profile and click on the polyvore link, you can find Kaylani's outfit. Please let me know if anything feels rushed, but know that more will be explained about Kaylani, who she is, what she is, and how she knows Derek in the next chapter. Also, yes this is going to be a Stiles/OC story. Probably rated M for violence and other themes.**

**I'd also like to point out that I'm posting this the same week the corresponding episode aired. This means that I do not know where this story will lead, so I will probably be changing some facts here and there as the tale progresses. Please, have patience with me, I just really liked the idea I have in my head for this story and I hope Kaylani will be a good addition to the events that are to come.**

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><p>The beat of the music could be felt in my veins as I moved through the crowd of dancing teens. I knew next to no one here. I was the new girl. An outcast. And I hadn't seen my cousin in about half an hour. But after I finished my second drink, I cared less about knowing anyone here and cared more about dancing.<p>

God, I loved to dance.

The sudden wave of thirst hit me hard, so I sent my random dance partner an apologetic smile and ducked out of the mass of moving bodies, weaving through the dancing crowd towards the drinks. Towards the center of the crowd, in a slightly open space, stood two guys and a girl that, like the majority of those around me, I didn't know. But there was something about one guy, the one with short brown hair in a striped t-shirt. He was waving his hand as he talked to the other boy and the girl, but she couldn't hear it over the music pounding in her ears.

But still, when I looked at this stranger, something in my head clicked. What I did next was completely out of my character, which was probably due to the two very strong drinks I'd consumed, but I walked right up to the ranting stripe-shirt boy and, when he'd paused and looked at me, I leaned in, standing on the tips of my toes, and planted a kiss firmly on his cheek. When I pulled away about two seconds later, I let out a small laugh. My lips had been painted a bright blue that glowed in the blacklight, so where I had kissed him was marked clearly. And the shocked expression on his face, completely with wide eyes and gaping mouth, was priceless.

I smiled at him and patted his shoulder as I moved to walk past him, feeling him turn to follow me. After a few steps, I glanced over my shoulder to look back at him. My smile grew to see he was still watching me, practically frozen with his jaw dropped in complete surprise. For added measure, I sent him a wink and gave a small wave before turning forwards again, moving towards where they were serving drinks.

It must have only been a minute or two, but when the water bottle I'd grabbed from the small tub filled with ice water and bottled water was half empty, I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey!"

Turning, a smile spread across my face as I recognized the stranger I'd kissed on the cheek looking right at me, a somewhat nervous grin on his face. "Stripes!" I responded, turning fully to him.

Confusion spread across his face for a moment before he glanced down at his shirt and chuckled. Looking back up at me, he grinned again and opened his mouth. "Actually, it's Stiles." He said, just loud enough for me to hear him clearly over the pounding music.

I blinked at the name, head tilting to the right a bit. "Stiles?" Well, that one was new. The guy must have read my confused look wrong, for suddenly he was frowning and looked pretty nervous. I laughed softly, smiling at him and took a step closer, so I didn't have to shout too loudly. "I love it!"

"Really?" He asked, shocked once again. I nodded in response and, with my free hand, pointed to myself.

"Kaylani."

A single eyebrow raised, and when the next word left his lips, I felt a small fluttering in my stomach. "Kaylani." He was testing out the name, as I had with his, and as soon as he smiled at me, I returned it. "Cool."

I laughed a bit, suddenly not knowing what to say. This kid, Stiles, when I got a good look at him, he was actually pretty cute. And cute in a manly way, not cute like a puppy.

"Wanna dance?" I found myself asking. I'd gotten my water, thirst quenched, and was ready to get back out on the dance floor. Only now, I might be able to know the name of the person I was going to be dancing with.

Stiles blinked a few times, contemplating the idea for a couple moments before he nodded once. "Sure!"

I smiled and set my water on the table, knowing that it would simply get lost and forgotten, or drank by some drunken person who didn't realize that it wasn't theirs. With my hands now free, I grabbed both of his and pulled him out onto the dance floor with a smile.

Once we found a spot where we could dance without being constantly pressed against other people, we started to move. He wasn't the greatest dancer, but I found myself laughing at his awkward moves. Stiles seemed to be the quirky type, might even be a little twitchy when he didn't have a reason to move. Something about him screamed ADHD, but I loved it.

After a few songs of just doing whatever, the music changed to something that, if played in a club, would result in grinding and sexual frustration. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but when Stiles took my hand in his, I didn't resist when he pulled my body up against his. He was lean, with just enough muscle to suggest he played a sport of some kind. My guess was lacrosse, since that was Beacon Hills' favorite sport.

His hands had moved themselves to my hips, but I didn't really mind. So long as some perv didn't come up behind me to start against my backside, I was okay with this. Besides, Stiles wasn't even doing any sort of grinding. Instead, he was swaying like we were at some school dance with a teacher watching over us.

I smiled up at him coyly. "What, not interested in laying claim?" I asked loudly, making sure he could hear me.

Stiles suddenly seemed very awkward and worried. "Do you want me to?" He asked.

I shook my head, wrapping arms around his neck. One of my hands ran through his hair, enjoying the softness of it. With my palm against the back of his head, I gently pushed, letting him know I wanted him to lower himself slightly. He obliged, so I didn't have to move myself upwards too much to talk in his ear. "I think I've got it covered."

He turned his head to look at me in confusion as I pulled away slightly. I smiled in response and leaned in, kissing him fully on the mouth for the first time.

Now, I wasn't the sort of girl that believed in fireworks going off when you had a great kissing partner. For one, they never went off when I'd kissed guys in the past, and secondly, it was all too cliché for me. But kissing Stiles, stranger to me or not, was different. There were no fireworks, don't get me wrong – he's a great kisser, but when he started to kiss back, it was like electricity had replaced my blood, starting at my lips.

I pulled away slowly, smiling at him as every cell in my body seemed to hum. We'd been dancing for about 20 minutes now, my buzz induced by alcohol had disappeared. I was ready for another drink, and I said as much.

"Sure, I'll grab us some." He shouted over the music, grinning. "Head over to the stairs in the corner, I'll meet you there."

At my nod, he started to make his way back towards the drinks. With a smile on my face, I weaved through the mass of teenagers around me, ducking away from a few guys, and girls, that tried to get me to dance with them. It was easy to evade them, especially when I'd really rather get a chance to actually talk to this Stiles guy.

I had just sat down on the stairs, seated high enough so I could watch the entire room, when Stiles was appearing through the crowd. He grinned when he spotted me, holding up two bottles as he joined me on the stairs, lowering himself onto the step just below mine. "Hope beer's fine." He stated, handing me one of the bottles.

"It's fine." I said, reassuring him with a kiss on his jaw. I felt him chuckle as I pulled away. "You have a bottle opener?"

He glanced at me, a thoughtful look on his face before he nodded sharply. "Yeah, yeah I do." He handed me his bottle, which I took without question, so he could dig into the pocket of his jeans. He produced a set of keys, said bottle opener attached to the main ring. Turning his entire body towards me, he popped the caps off of the bottles as I held them.

I glanced at the keys as I took a swig of my beer, Stiles slipping his bottle from my other hand. Once it was free, I reached over and pulled one of the keys away from the rest of the bunch. It had a spotted glowing substance on it, causing me to tilt my head so I could speak in Stiles' ear.

"You have phosphors on you keys." I commented before sipping at my beer again.

He swallowed the mouthful of beer he'd just taken and looked at his keys curiously. "Huh." I barely heard him say.

While Stiles looked at his keys, obviously confused on how the substance had gotten there, I reached up to run my fingers through his hair, smiling a bit. He turned towards me, earning a soft smile. Grinning back, he leaned forwards slightly before hesitating.

I rolled my eyes and closed the distance between our mouths, kissing him with a bit more earnestness than I had on the dance floor. He was quickly kissing me back, resting the arm that was holding his beer on a step a bit higher up as he leaned into the kiss. I hummed, smiling against his lips. The electricity running through my veins was back, and the only way I could really describe it was: invigorating.

But then suddenly he was pulling away, face scrunched up in thought. I sat straight, blinking at him as he gave me an apologetic look.

"Sorry…but what are phosphors?" He asked, holding up his keys.

I blinked once more before looking at them. "Ah, well phosphors are substances that glow in certain lighting. You can find them in a few different things in your daily life. It's in our bones for example, that's why our teeth glow. Same with this." I explained, smiling at him as I touched the glowing paint that had transferred from my lips to his while we kissed. He licked his lips quickly before smiling back hesitantly, as if lost in thought, before he leaned down and kissed me again.

This time, it didn't last as long. I'd just closed my eyes when I felt him pause again. I pulled back, letting out a sigh.

"How did I get phosphors on my keys?" He asked, looking at me as though I had the answers.

I merely shrugged and shifted a bit so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. "Don't know, have you been handling any chemicals lately?"

"No I, I haven't…" I saw his frown out of the corner of my eye and turned my head so I could look at his face better. He had a contemplating look in his eyes, one that I knew quiet well. He had questions that I couldn't answer, so he was about to run off to figure it out himself.

"Hey Stiles."

"Hmm?" He looked down at me, bringing our faces fairly close together.

"Where's your phone?" I asked, shifting slightly to kiss his jaw before pulling away so he could dig it out of his jean pockets, if he had it.

One of his hands went to his pocket, as I'd predicted. "Umm, why do you want my phone?" He asked hesitantly.

I smiled at him, leaning close again so that my lips brushed against his ear as I spoke. "I'm giving you my number." I told him.

Stiles' eyes widened and he hastened to pull out his phone, handing it to me. I smiled as I quickly found my way to his contacts, adding my information to it. "There," I said, handing it back to him, "now you call me whenever you want. I'm not a booty call, but I'd really like to see you again."

"Seriously?" He asked after a few moments, looking up at me from his phone with a look of shock on his face.

"Seriously." I smirked, kissing him on the lips briefly. "No go run off and do what it is you've got to do."

Stiles started at me for a few moments in wonderment before he chuckled, shaking his head as he returned his phone to his pocket. "I will definitely call you." He said, grinning like a fool as he kissed me one last time before standing, leaving his untouched bottle of beer on the stairs. "Now don't get too drunk." He exclaimed, pointing a finger at me as he slowly made his way down the stairs. "I don't want to hear that this crazy, gorgeous girl who for some reason wants to see me again got killed in an accident because she drove home drunk!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "No promises!" I called jokingly, grinning wider when he shook his head. "And Stiles?"

"Yeah?" He looked up at me, smiling widely.

"Good luck."

He watched me for a few moments before smiling more and waving, one of his fingers looped through the key ring. I waved back before he turned around, smiling widely. When I'd moved to Beacon Hills, I hadn't expected such a quick connection with anyone, much less a guy. But there was something about Stiles, something that drew me in like a moth to a flame.

I took a sip of my warming beer, watching him make his way through the crowd towards the exit. As soon as he was out of sight, the grin left my face as my eyes scanned the crowds. I only counted four heads of those I was looking for, which wasn't right. There should have been eight. Two of those four heads started to make their way out towards an exit that, from the sign next to the door that I had spotted earlier, lead up to the roof. A few minutes after they'd disappeared, the last two go out another exit. An unsettling feeling plants itself in my gut as I pick at the label on the beer bottle in my hands.

"Just a little longer." I whisper, the sound of my own voice not even reaching my ears over the music.

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><p>It probably wasn't even ten minutes until it started. First there he was, entering the loft with a very unhappy expression on his face. It was familiar to me, just slightly, for I'd seen it once before, about three years ago.<p>

Derek Hale pushed his way towards the DJ's table, scowling as he was continuously bumped and jostled by dancing teens. I smiled in amusement, watching as the bouncer continued to deny Derek a chance to speak to the DJ. That wouldn't stop him though, and sure enough, Derek soon had the DJ table on the floor, the music cutting off suddenly.

The crowd turned silent for a moment before Derek shouted "GET OUT", the words echoing throughout the loft. The teens stood frozen in silent disbelief for a moment, the sudden quiet shocking after the continuous beat of the music, then suddenly they were pushing their way out, quickly clearing the loft.

I stood and stretched, leaving my beer on a step. I removed the white fedora from my head and set it down as well, knowing it was about to get in the way. I made my way through the thinning crowd, smiling when Derek glanced at me, looked away, then turned back with shock on his face.

"How-"

I held up a hand, silencing him. "Not important at the moment." I stated with a smile, then pointed at a figure through the almost disappeared crowd. In fact, there were five identical figures throughout the loft, left standing there when the crowd had disappeared, leaving behind those five, myself and Derek, as well as the four others plus two females. "May I?" I asked quietly, raising my hand towards Derek.

"Go for it." He responded, holding out his arm. I felt the energy fill me as soon as I made contact with his bare arm.

A few of those that weren't the demonic warriors standing in the room shot me a confused look before turning back to the warriors. They'd worry about me later, I knew, but for now, we all had something else to worry about.

As one, the five warriors turned towards one of the twins. With the black light still on, the paint covering his chest glowed in an interesting, almost tribal-like pattern in your standard neon green color. When the five figures turned to him, a look of worry and slight fear appeared on the wolf's face.

"Guys, why are they looking at me?"

But no one responded. Instead, growling could be heard from directly to my left, Derek, and a male my age standing about two yards to my right. I smirked a bit, feeling my face change a bit as I started growling myself.

If someone had stood directly in front of me, with knowledge of the supernatural world, they wouldn't be able to explain what they were seeing. My face morphed in the general style of a female werewolf, but because I was borrowing the abilities, my eyes weren't shining your standard werewolf color.

No, when one looked at my eyes, they were met with a vibrant, glowing purple.

Derek roared from my left before leaping towards the nearest warrior. I quickly followed, counting the seconds I had until I was merely human again in my head. But that didn't matter. If I could make contact with one of these warriors, I could know exactly what they were. Maybe even learn what they wanted here in Beacon Hills.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though they knew what my intentions were. The one warrior I focused on dodged every single attack with an eerie grace. I roared at him in frustration, my time slowly trickling away. I had less than a minute left, and I needed just one second of contact to get a reading.

The sounds of a fight came from all around, and as the number I was counting down slowly grew smaller and smaller, it was like time slowed down. I made a swipe at the warrior, a single claw scrapping his mask. That wasn't enough, it didn't last long enough, and that was the closest I got.

'0.' I counted in my head, feeling my werewolf features melt away. Next thing I knew, I was being thrown back by an invisible force, a gasp leaving my lips when my back came in contact with a brick wall.

My world went black before my feet made contact with the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**UPDATE: After watching "Silverfinger" I changed Kaylani being unconscious from 10 hours to 4. That way the next chapter would fit with the events in the episode a bit better.**

**Okay, so the first chapter got 3 reviews, 65 views, and about 50 unique visitors since I posted it less than 72 hours ago. That was much more than I was expecting, and thanks, to all of you. As a writer, your response means a lot to me, so I'd love to see any comments you have. It can either be in a review or a PM, I don't really mind.**

**Now, I had different plans for this chapter, but it ended up getting longer than I'd though it would be, so I decided to post it before tonight's episode. If this chapter interferes with too many events of the new episode, I'll probably take it down and redo it a little, but for the most part, I think it should be fine.  
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**Lastly, before I let you go and read, I wanted to say that I updated my Polyvore account, because this chapter was going to include Lani's first day at Beacon Hills, but now it's mostly a back story chapter and you get to learn what Lani actually is! More about that will be explained later on in other chapters.**

**Also, sorry about the significant lack of Stiles in this episode, it's almost 4000 words!  
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><p>When you wake up suddenly, there was that single moment, lasting for maybe a second or two, between the point of being asleep and being awake, when everything was confusion. Usually it didn't mean anything, it was just that time when you were waking up and your brain was realizing the shift. But when you get knocked out suddenly, that moment, right before you wake, it's like you can't breathe.<p>

I sat up suddenly, gasping for breath. My vision was hazy yet, my skin numb as I remembered the figures, the demon warriors, that had targeted Derek and his pack mates. I remembered getting knocked into a wall, the pain in the back of my head, which I still felt know, and the sounds of growling and fighting around me.

"Derek?" I called out, seeing shapes moving in my hazy vision. Things were becoming clearer slowly, but my brain didn't like it when I just woke up suddenly. It tended to want to go on strike, refusing me of a sense or two for a minute when I woke.

I felt cold, like someone had left me uncovered for whatever amount of time I'd been unconscious. But I could feel the fabric of sheets under me and the light weight of a comforter now pooled around my waist. Either I had been taken home, to sleep in my own bed, or Derek had settled me into his own.

"Lani." My head snapped to my left, one of those hazy figures inches from my face. I reached up, touching the face's cheek and grinned at the feeling of stubble under my fingers.

"Give me a second, I want to see that stupidly handsome face before I try talking too much, but my brain isn't too happy with me right now." I stated, patting his cheek.

His snort reached my ears, causing me to grin more. "How are you feeling?" he asked as his eyes, of all things, started to come into focus first. I could see the worry in them, along with concern and disappointment. The grin slid from my features.

"I'm fine Derek." I whispered, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. When I pulled away, he was bowing his head. "Derek, you can't always protect me. You were gone for over a year, I was able to protect myself while you were away. I'm a little bruised, yes, but I'll be fine. Don't go kicking yourself for me getting hurt." He looked up after a few tense moments, his green eyes meeting my dark ones as I gave him a reassuring smile. "How long was I out for?"

"Only about four hours." He answered, his head raised to a normal level again. "You've got a few concerned messages, though I gave your father a call. He wasn't too happy you didn't mention anything about stepping into the supernatural again."

I shrugged, looking around me for my phone. Everything was to the normal level of visual clarity again, which I was grateful for. Next to the bed that I was on, with it now clear that I was in Derek's Loft still, I found my phone on the nightstand next to Derek. Grabbing it, I typed in my passcode quickly and went through my messages.

I'd come to Beacon Hills just a few days ago, and at first, my parents had been hesitant about it. I mean, despite all the things I was capable of, they were still unsure about allowing their seventeen year old daughter get her own apartment while attending a new school in a town hours away from where they were. Sure, I had family in Beacon Hills, but they also knew that Derek was here. And my parents had never been big fans of Derek.

Nearly seven years ago, when I was ten, I was saved from getting hit by a car by a young woman. She brought me home and my parents insisted that she stay for dinner in order for them to thank her properly. At ten, I was still a normal kid. Nothing special about me, but something told me this girl who'd saved my life knew before I did that I was going to be something great.

Her name was Laura, Laura Hale.

After that day, I'd started seeing more of Laura around town. She'd told me, after a week of random meetings, that she'd moved here with her brother when their family had died. She never told me how, but she did introduce me to her brother, Derek.

Derek was nineteen then, still fairly normal. But he was also sad all the time. I knew the death of his family had hit him harder than it had Laura, but he never said why. When I'd first met him, he had been laying on the couch of the crappy apartment he shared with his sister, an arm covering his face. I was there with Laura for a few hours, and he never moved once or said a thing.

"_Is he sleeping?" Ten year old me had asked the older woman who was busy making grilled cheese sandwiches for us as an afternoon snack._

"_No, he doesn't sleep much." Laura had said in a tense voice, watching her brother. "Not since the fire."_

As I got to know the Hale siblings better over the next year, most of my conversations with Derek involving grunts and snorts in response to my statements, I didn't ask about their family. It was a taboo, and I think they were grateful that this random kid didn't press too much into that would be so difficult for them to talk about.

The week after my eleventh birthday, that's when things started to change.

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><p>"<em>Laura!" A young girl called out, dark brown hair in two braided pig-tails that bounced as she ran towards the pretty young woman who was leaning against her car in the parking lot in front of Lani's school.<em>

"_Hey there, little Lani." Laura laughed, hugging the excited eleven year old back when she'd nearly tackled her. "Well aren't you hyper today? I bet you still have some cake at home from your birthday!"_

"_Dad let me have a little bit for breakfast!" Kaylani said, giggling. "Then mom hit him on the back of his head and told him that I was still growing, so I should be eating better."_

_Laura laughed again. "Speaking of your parents, they asked if I could watch you for a few days. Something about your dad having a business trip in New York?"_

_The young girl's eyes widened in excitement. "Really?! The nanny must have cancelled. I don't like her very much, she always makes me eat brussel sprouts."_

"_Well, Derek probably hates brussel sprouts more than you do, so you're safe." Laura said, bending down a bit so she could stage whisper to the younger girl._

_Kaylani giggled and started bouncing up and down. "Sleep over!" She said loudly._

_Laura laughed, bending down more to kiss the top of Kaylani's head when the girl stopped bouncing. "Get in the car so we can go get your stuff. Derek's driving."_

_Kaylani nodded vigerously before going to the back door of Laura's car and practically jumped into the back seat. "Hi Derek!" She called, smiling at the young man seated in the driver's seat._

"_Hey Lani." He responded without turning around, but the child caught sight of a small smile appear on his lips for a few moment through the rearview mirror, causing her to giggle as Laura got into the seat in front of her._

"_Buckle up giggly one." Laura said, smiling at the girl behind her._

_Kaylani nodded, doing as instructed with a large smile on her face. She loved spending time with the Hales._

_It took them about an hour to go to Kaylani's home, enter the house through the back, which was never locked, and pack a bag of Kaylani's clothes and a few toys that would last her about a week, then head to the Hale apartment on the other side of the small town in northern Nevada. The entire ride from her house to the apartment, Kaylani rambled about the day she'd had at school, including telling them about this rude boy, Jeremy, who would always pick on little Lani._

"_Sounds like he has a crush on you Lani." Laura had teased, grabbing the bag filled with Kaylani's things from the back seat._

"_But he's so mean!" The young girl had complained, pouting. "Besides, when I'm older, I want to marry Derek!"_

"_What?!" Said young man exclaimed, eyes wide as his sister burst out laughing._

"_All the boys at school are icky!" Kaylani said, following the two adults into their apartment building. "Derek is nice to me, I'd rather marry you!"_

"_Oh my god." He groaned as Laura continued to laugh. "Lani, I'm nine years older than you?"_

"_So?" She'd asked innocently, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at him._

_Finally collecting herself, Laura knelt down in front of the young girl when they reached the door to the apartment, smiling at Kaylani. "Lani, when you're finally able to marry, Derek may have met a girl he wants to marry, someone his own age." She started to explain as her embarrassed brother unlocked the door. "And that's seven years from now, he might even be married by that time."_

_Kaylani pouted. "But I want to marry Derek." She said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest._

"_I know, but seven years is a long ways away. And who knows, maybe you'll meet a boy that isn't icky and is as nice to you as Derek is, and you decide you want to marry him instead."_

_The girl's pout deepened, but eventually she lowered her arms and looked up at the older girl. "You really think so?"_

"_Yeah." Laura smiled at her. "Give it time, you'll see." She ruffled Kaylani's hair and stood. "Now, what do you want for dinner?"_

_Two days later, Kaylani was frowning at her homework as she sat at the small table in Derek and Laura's small kitchen. She hated math, especially when there were fractions and division involved. And it didn't help that her day at school had been particularly rough. That boy, Jeremy, had pushed her off the swings during recess and caused her to scrape her knees on the pebbles. When Derek had picked her up after school, since Laura was off running errands, he immediately asked what happened and had even offered to scare the boy off for her once she'd told him what happened. It didn't take long for him to get her smiling and laughing again as they drove back to the apartment, since he was describing all the ways he could scare the kid as they sat in the car._

_But now she was thinking back on the day, remembering as the other kids had laughed along with Jeremy the Jerk (nickname courtesy of Derek). She'd never been so embarrassed before. And the residual ache she could still feel from her bandaged knees was like a constant reminder of what had happened. But she wouldn't cry. She was daddy's little girl and she'd stay strong._

_But her mind drifted back to some of the way Derek said he'd scare Jeremy, in order to protect her, and one idea of his where Jeremy's pants would catch on fire and Kaylani could call out "Liar Liar, pants on fire!" Kaylani knew Derek wouldn't do it, because they both knew she'd regret any revenge that resulted in Jeremy getting too hurt. But still, a part of her, that part that was still really upset over the entire series of events, wouldn't have minded so much if Jeremy's pants were on fire._

_And that's she saw it, at the corner of her math homework. A tiny little spark. Then it started to grow and burn, a small fire starting from the corner of the page, right next to where she'd written her name._

_She screamed as the fire started to spread across her homework, watching as the problems she'd yet to solve were quickly disappearing, consumed by flames. No alarms had gone off yet, there was no smoke. But the second after Kaylani had started screaming, Derek had appeared in the kitchen. Upon seeing her not even a foot away from the fire, Derek had ran and pulled her away and into his arms._

_He moved quickly to the sink, setting Kaylani on the counter before he quickly bent down and opened the cupboard under the sink, where they kept all their cleaning stuff and extra dish soap. When Derek was standing again, he had a fire extinguisher in his hands. It took him a few seconds to quickly scan over the instructions before he was putting the fire out, white foam spraying over the table and her homework._

_Finally he lowered the extinguisher, panting slightly from all the excitement. Slowly, he slid to the floor and leaned back against the cupboards, letting the fire extinguisher clatter to the floor next to him. Kaylani sat on the counter still, eyes wide at the foam covered table. Carefully, she slipped from the counter top and into Derek's lap, hugging him tightly. He snapped out of his shock at the situation and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close._

"_You okay?" He mumbled into her hair, a large hand rubbing her back comfortingly. The only response he got was a nod, but it was enough to allow him to let out a relieved sigh. "Good, okay. Everyone's okay. Laura is going to be pissed, but everyone's okay."_

_Kaylani had smiled slight, her face buried in his chest. "Derek?" She asked softly a few minutes later. They hadn't moved, hadn't spoken, so even though her voice was muffled by his chest, it still broke the silence around them._

"_Yeah?"_

"_What happened?" She asked, pulling away to look at him. He frowned slightly, looking into those dark eyes of hers and blinked. Just yesterday, she'd been looking up at him with wide, bright blue eyes begging for a cookie before dinner._

_He let out another breath, this one shakier than the first. Laura had been right about this little girl. "Laura has a theory." He said softly. "She said she sensed it when she'd met you, that day she had saved you from getting hit by that car."_

_Kaylani's face scrunched up in confusion. "What theory?"_

_Derek looked at her for another moment before closing his eyes. When he'd opened them again, his jaw was set in determination. "Kaylani, you're a witch."_

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><p>"Lani."<p>

My head snapped up again, looking at Derek after his voice broke me away from my memories. I gave him a soft smile, silently telling him I was fine, before I looked at my phone again. I had four texts and a single missed call. The call had been my dad, which Derek must have responded too afterwards. All the texts had come from my cousin.

_Where are you? And if you're at your place, answer the door._

_Okay, so there are three options here as to where you are. 1-you're with a guy. 2-you're passed out in some alley drunk off your ass. 3-your dead. Call me!_

_Lani, I swear if you don't answer your phone I'm calling the cops._

_Your dad just called, said you had met up with an old friend who'd moved to Beacon Hills a while back. Just tell me when you get home, okay?_

I shook my head and looked up. There was a group of people in the loft, away from Derek's 'bedroom'. "Go join your pack." I said softly, looking at the man on my side. "I have to make a quick call."

He nodded curtly and stood, resting his hand atop my head for a moment before going back into the main part of the loft. As he moved away, I scooted back on the bed until my back was resting against the wall. I winced slightly at the contact. Okay, so my back was probably one giant bruise. Showering later will be fun.

I let out a steady breath, pushing the pain to the back of my mind as I held down the number four on my phone until it registered the call to my cousin.

"_Lani, thank god."_

I grinned as my cousin's voice broke through from the other end of the phone line. "Danny boy, concerned for my safety even though we both know I can pin you down in a wrestling match in a minute?" She asked.

"_Alright, one, that happened _once_ when we were eight and my dad said it's not right for me to hit a girl. And two, where the hell are you exactly?"_

"Well I haven't left the building since the party got disrupted." I answered truthfully. "The guy that owns the loft, Derek, his sister is the one that saved me from getting hit by a car when I was ten. I think I told you about them? They were like, my best friends for five years."

"_Yeah, in a creepy 'they're both at least six years older than you' way."_ I could tell he was rolling his eyes, causing me to grin.

"Hey, they were totally normal people. Now, I'm just calling to let you know I haven't been raped or mugged or anything like that. I'm perfectly fine. It's just my phone went dead during the party and I had to charge it. I have my dad's number memorized so I used Derek's to call him and let him know I was okay because I had a feeling you were going to call him at some point from my radio silence. Then when I was able to turn my phone back on, I noticed your little rampage of 'oh shit, where's Lani' and knew I had to shoot you a call."

And again with the lies. With every lie, my gut tightened a bit, as if someone had wrapped a hand around my stomach and tightened the grip they had on it just a smidge with each lie that left my lips. Danny was my cousin. We'd grown up side by side before my family had moved to Nevada and the closeness we'd had slowly started to get bigger. I hated lying to him, but I also knew that if he knew the truth, he'd get swept up in the crazy that was my life. Only two people alive knew what I was, and that was Derek and my father. Though I knew that number was about to become much larger, I also knew Danny could never know. Lies kept him safe, it kept him in the dark and it reduced the amount of chance any asshole had at using him as a target.

"_Gee, thanks for the consideration."_

I chuckled softly at his statement. "Cut the sarcasm cuz, I'll see you Monday."

"_Yeah, just let me know when you get home. Just in case?"_

"Derek's not going to murder me."

"_Yeah, I'll be the one to decide if he's trustworthy in the sake of your innocence before I believe that."_

I rolled my eyes and grinned. "What innocence?" I asked before hanging up the phone, knowing he'd have a fit at the declaration. In Danny's eyes, I was his little sister and closest friend all at once. I was the first person who he told about being gay, had introduced me to his first serious boyfriend over skype before the kid had even met his parents, and he was just generally over-protective. I was grateful for it, yeah, but still, it was Danny.

And I loved to annoy him.

I set my phone on the bedside table again, grinning a bit still as I made to get up and join Derek and the others in the rest of the loft. That's when I realized something.

I had felt cold earlier, thinking it was because I'd worn a tank top last night and still had it on. But I was wrong, because there was no white tank top covering my chest. And when the duvet uncovered my legs, there were no jean shorts to be seen. Nor was there a single speck of paint where there had been some ten hours ago.

I glanced up to the group of people standing in the rest of the loft and quickly grabbed said duvet, wrapping it around myself. "Derek!" I practically screeched, brow set in angry determination.

"What?" He asked, turning around. Then he grinned slightly, seeing me standing next to his bed wrapped up in his duvet. "Oh yeah, there was no way I was putting you in my bed covered in paint."

"So you decide to strip me down to my bra and panties," I start ranting, walking towards him and ignoring the others around us, mostly males, "and scrub me clean. Well, let me tell you one thing." I raised my hand, poking him in the chest. Damn, he'd added a bit in the muscles department since I last saw him. "Next time you decide to molest me, make sure I'm awake."

Derek rolled his eyes as a couple chuckles sounded from around us, which I ignored. "Sorry Lani, but I wasn't the one that gave you a sponge bath."

I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning him. Suddenly a voice broke through the silence, causing me to turn.

"I like the tattoo."

The girl my eyes landed on a girl was about my height, dark hair and brown eyes. My head tilted a bit, then I let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god." I stated, turning back to Derek. "I probably would have castrated you if you'd let a guy wash me." I told him, arms crossing over my chest, though it was difficult to see when I was covered by a duvet.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "No way in hell."

"Good answer!" I poked him in the chest again. "Now, onto the most important question."

When I didn't immediately ask said important question, he raised an eyebrow at me, causing me to smile mischievously.

"So, are you dating anyone?" I asked, voice chipper.

As soon as the words left my lips, recognition crossed his face before he closed his eyes, groaning slightly.

"Lani, not this." He growled.

"What? I stated I was going to marry you if neither of use found a significant other by the time I turned eighteen. That's less than a year away Derek, time's ticking." I grinned widely, winking at him. "It doesn't help that you only keep getting hotter. How do you do that by the way?" I tilted my head, looking him up and down.

His arms crossed over his chest, as if trying to shield himself from my gaze. "I swear every single one of you is crazy."

"Aw, come on Derek, you know you love me."

When he didn't respond, or deny, my smile grew and I turned to the rest of the group. "So, who can point me to my clothes? I'm not going to take introductions dressed in nothing but my underthings and a duvet that reeks of male."


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this chapter is getting posted about three days later than I was originally hoping to get it up, but between getting called into work early three times this week and trying to start a TW one-shot I've had in mind for a little while now, it's been crazy trying to get this one finished. It only covers part of the episode 'Silverfinger', the next half of the episode will be in the next chapter, which will also contain some back story on Lani.**

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><p>The door to the bathroom opened as I slid that paint splattered white tank top back into place, covering myself again. I glanced over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the figure in the doorway.<p>

"You do know it's customary to knock when you know a person is in the bathroom." I stated, tilting my head a bit.

Derek rolled his eyes. "When did you get that tattoo?" He asked, watching me as I turned to the mirror to fix my hair, using my fingers as a temporary comb before pulling it up into a pony tail.

"Not long after you'd left. Took me a while to convince my old man, but that's because that siren of a step mother really didn't agree with a sixteen year old getting a tattoo over a large part of her back." I told him, tucking a bit of my bangs behind an ear before I turned around, looking over my shoulder at my reflection as I raised the tank top again to look at the tattoo on my back.

It had been a declaration, my commitment to those who'd helped me become who I was today. It was simple, just an outline of the shapes of two creatures really. A wolf and a phoenix, with the only color being the cold blue of the wolf's eyes.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Derek asked, his hand appearing in the mirror and touching my back, right below the blue eyes of the wolf.

I tilted my head a bit and shrugged, lowering the tank top again as he pulled his hand away. "I guess. When the guy that did it asked if I wanted any color, the words 'give the wolf ice blue eyes' just forced their way out." I turned to him and smiled. "Don't let it go to your ego though Derek. I had no plans of putting you on my body permanently."

He rolled his eyes and snorted. "Alright, well what's with the phoenix?"

"They're the symbol of rebirth and new beginnings." I shrugged again.

Derek raised an eyebrow at me before sighing. "Come on, you need to make a proper introduction."

I nodded, though it went unseen as he'd already turned around and left the bathroom. Rolling my eyes, I glanced at my reflection once more. After a moment I nodded to my reflection and walked out into the main part of the loft.

Everyone who'd been at the party last night, the ones that I'd tried to keep an eye on, were waiting for us. I scanned over each of them, knowing all the males were werewolves. The two girls seemed pretty normal, though one of them had a strange aura around her, causing me to look at her curiously for a moment.

"So, to make things simple, my name is Kaylani Māhealani, you probably know my cousin, Danny. I just moved into an apartment a few blocks from here, living alone. I am a witch, mostly self-trained so I still have a few things to figure out. My father and step-mother live in Frisco, where they moved to when I decided to come to Beacon Hills to look for my two favorite Hales because they haven't con-" I froze suddenly, seeing Derek tense as I spoke. "Derek?"

He looked up at me, frowning. "I didn't want to say anything." He said, looking away from me.

"What are you talking about?" Fear gripped my stomach. "Derek, where's Laura?"

The shaggy haired teen tensed as well, glancing at Derek with wide eyes.

"She's dead." Derek answered after a moment of silence.

My hand flew up to my mouth, eyes wide in shock. The other teens looked at each other, likely not knowing who Laura even was. After a few moments, the shock started to subside and I went over to Derek, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Der, I am so sorry."

I could feel the tension leave his body as he wrapped a single arm around my torso, pulling me closer. "You didn't know." He whispered after pulling away.

I nodded slowly. "You and I need to talk."

"You have school in a bit." He told me, frowning.

"Do you really think I care?" I asked, but he merely raised an eyebrow, causing me to roll my eyes. "Fine, I'll go to school."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused me to turn back to the teens. "So it's Kaylani?" The guy with the shaggy hair asked, smiling softly.

"Yeah." I smiled back. "So do I get to learn someone's name at least?"

"I'm Allison Argent." The girl who'd admitted to cleaning me up said and I nodded to her. She turned to the tall, curly haired blonde standing next to her. "This is Isaac Lahey."

"Nice to meet you." He said, smiling slightly.

"Ethan." The voice caused me to turn to one of the twins, his hands in the pockets of his jeans while the other had his arms crossed over his chest. "Aiden."

I raised an eyebrow at the two, but nodded, looking at shaggy hair and the other girl.

"I'm Kira." The girl said, offering an uncertain smile.

"Scott McCall." Shaggy hair said, stepping towards me and offering his hand. I took it in my own, smiling. Suddenly a few of thoses watching me gasped, and I understood why quickly when Scott was staring right into my eyes, shocked.

"You're an alpha." I stated, allowing my surprise to sound in my voice.

"Your eyes." He breathed, still watching me. "They're…"

"A reddish purple? Yeah, they do that sometimes. The red is because when I make physical contact with a werewolf who's an alpha, I gain their abilities as an alpha. For the most part, I can control it, but if a supernatural being is particularly powerful, their powers just sneak their way through." I shrugged, letting go of his hand finally and taking a step back. "It was great to meet you all, really, and I can't wait to work with you in the future, but as the grump behind me stated, we've got school. As it's to be my first day, I probably shouldn't be late and I'd like to go home and change, so I'll see you at school." I waved a bit at them before turning back to Derek, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. I chuckled when he snorted, rolling his eyes at my behavior. "See ya around D."

"Just get moving Lani." He said, narrowing his eyes at me.

I winked and waved again as I made my way to the door, leaving the loft with a grin on my face.

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><p>After making quick work of getting ready for the day ahead of me, I'd left my apartment and drove my red 1996 Chevy Blazer to the school. I made it just in time to run to my locker and pull out the materials for my first class. I'd stopped by last week, the day after I'd moved to town, to fill out the final bits of paper work and get everything set up for my first day. This meant I knew where my locker and classes were, and I already had my schedule memorized.<p>

"Lani!"

I looked up and grinned. "Danny boy!" I called, raising an arm as he came over and wrapped me up in a one armed hug.

"So, do I need to hunt this Derek guy down for disgracing my cousin's honor or are we good?" He asked once we'd pulled apart, letting me get the last of what I needed for class from my locker.

I rolled my eyes, smiling a bit. "For the last time, Derek sees me as his little sister. He's not going to do anything to me, whether I like it or not." I said, chuckling at his groan.

"I just hope there's some guy here, our age, that can actually distract you from this weird crush of yours." He told me.

I smiled and looked up before seeing two talking figures walking our way down the hall, my smile growing. "I already have." I told him as I closed my locker.

Scott spotted me and hesitated for a moment before nodding. The person walking with him, Stiles, blinked before turning to look towards us. Upon spotting me, he stopped walking suddenly, his eyes widening.

"Kaylani?" He asked.

"Hey Stiles." I grinned, walking over to them. A groan sounded behind me, causing me to raise an eyebrow when Danny came to stand by my side. He merely shook his head, eyeing Stiles.

"You're…" Stiles paused, seemingly unsure of what he was about to say.

"Going to your school?" I asked, smiling when he nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"So, you two have already met my cousin." Danny stated, frowning a bit. "Of all the guys in the entire school."

"Oh stop pouting Danny. How about you go find that boyfriend of yours? I'm sure Scott and Stiles can walk me to class." I told him, smiling.

My cousin sighed, knowing he'd been dismissed. "See you at lunch." He said before nodding to the boys standing in front of us. As he walked away, Stiles was still gaping in shock at my presence while Scott grinned sheepishly.

"I like the shirt." Scott said, nodding his head to it.

I glanced down and grinned, reading the words 'Bad Wolf' upside down. I looked back up at them and shrugged. "It's actually a Doctor Who shirt, but I guess it could have a double meaning."

"Doctor Who?" He asked.

"Dude, it's a British Sci-Fi show." Stiles answered, suddenly snapped out of his shock. "You're a sci-fi fan?"

I shrugged, grinning. "I dabble." I told them, shoving my hands into the pockets of the brown leather jacket I wore over the black 'bad wolf' shirt. "If anything, I'm a fan of British television. It's like they get me, with their crude sense of humor."

Both boys nodded slowly, Scott still looking a bit confused while Stiles still had a few lingering traces of shock on his face.

"So Scott, you tell Stiles about me yet?" I asked, turning my eyes to meet dark brown ones.

He blinked at me before glancing at his best friend. "Ah, no. I was about to, but he had something to show me."

"Oh! Right." Stiles jumped slightly, suddenly looking like he was in a hurry again. "Come on." He grabbed Scott's arm and started to drag him down the hall. I blinked, turning to watch them go for a moment before running to catch up with them.

Stiles was talking as he and Scott ducked into a classroom, and I was close on their heels. "So then she starts talking about phosphors and the key having chemicals on it, right?" Stiles was saying, pausing when he saw me stepping into the room behind Scott. He blinked for a moment before continuing. "So that made me think of the chemistry closet and the fact that someone had to let Barrow in." He was moving to the front of the classroom, towards the blank chalkboard, as he spoke, but stopped suddenly. "It's gone."

I exchanged a look with Scott before looking at Stiles again. I stepped forward, ready to say something, but before I could let the words out, he was already moving back towards us and the door, talking again.

"Well it doesn't matter, though." Stiles said, pulling his keys from his pocket. "It doesn't matter, I still got the key." He'd moved towards the door, head bent down to look through his keys. "What the hell?" He asked after a moment, turning back towards me and Scott as he slowly started to flip through each key. "I-I had it here. I had it here, this morning. I swear to god, I had it this morning."

"The key you were talking about last night?" Scott asked, taking a step around me.

I blinked, remembering the key on Stiles' key ring that was glowing slightly under the blacklight.

"Yeah, I showed it to you, right?" Stiles asked, causing me to look back up at the two of them. "Didn't I show it to you?"

"No, you just told me about it. I never actually saw it." Scott answered, glancing back at me for a moment before turning back to Stiles.

"I saw it." I commented. Stiles' attention snapped to me, a relieved look passing over his face. I took a few steps towards him, closing the distance between us. Reaching up, I cupped his hands in my own as I looked him in the eye. I blinked at seeing their amber color, realizing that I hadn't been able to tell last night. "I saw the key Stiles, it was there."

"W-Where could it have gone?" He asked, his breathing slightly labored.

I didn't answer right away, looking over his face instead. He looked exhausted. "This world is full of supernatural phenomenon, more than the two of you are used to dealing with. There could be a hundred possible explanations as to what happened to that key in the span of a few hours Stiles. We might never figure it out. Just, tell us what you found out last night." I spoke softly, never breaking eye contact.

He nodded slowly before glancing behind me at Scott. He closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath before nodding a final time. "Right." He breathed, eyes opening again. "Okay."

He slid his hands free from mine before walking past me and towards the front of the classroom again, Scott and I following him this time. "I was here a couple hours ago." Stiles started. "And the message left for Barrow spelling Kira's name was right there on the board in my hand writing and I had the key to the chemistry closet."

I came to stop of Stile's left, Scott standing on his other side as he looked at his friend. "So you unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide in it from the cops, and then you wrote him a message to kill Kira?" He asked. I could sense his disbelief as I looked between the two of them.

"I-I know, I know how it sounds, but look at this." Stiles was digging something out of his pocket suddenly, his back turning to me slightly as he showed Scott. I rolled my eyes slightly, but ignored it because I knew he was stressed, and stepped around him to look at the paper in his hands. "It's a news report that came out Barrow when they caught him, about the shrapnel bomb that he used. See this, see what he did? He put nuts, bolts, and screws, and then he hid the bomb and the detonator in a box that he wrapped as a birthday present. What does that sound like to you?"

"Coach." Scott answered, looking at Stiles. "The joke we played on Coach."

"That was my idea." Stiles told him, swallowing nervously. "You remember? That was my idea! That's not some sort of coincidence, it can't be."

I bit my lip, suddenly lost in thought. Stiles' case, what he was talking about. It sounded familiar, something I'd heard about before, but I just couldn't place it.

"Dude, are you feeling okay?" Scott asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at him before looking at Stiles and frowned. The distress coming from him was nearly tangible.

"Stiles, you look exhausted, sit down." I said, grabbing his arm.

He jumped slightly before looking at me, then Scott. "I'm fine, I just…haven't been sleeping really." He admitted.

"Why don't you go home?" Scott offered, looking at his friend. "Take a sick day or something?"

"I'll drive you." I said, causing Stiles' head to whip back in my direction, and I winced at what the sudden movement might have done to his senses. "But right now, you need to sit down." I pulled on his arm, and this time he followed me over to a desk, allowing himself to be sat down. He watched me as I flipped the top of my messenger bag and started rifling through it. I pulled out my aviator shades, knowing I'd want to wear them when I was driving Stiles home, then pulled out a partly frozen water bottle and handed it to him. "Take a drink of that and just wait a moment." I instructed, pulling out a small, black leather journal from my bag and moving over towards the chalk board.

"What are you going to do?" Scott asked. I glanced at him before looking at Stiles, who was watching me with his eyebrows furrowed together slightly.

"What Scott was going to tell you about me is that I'm a lot more complicated than you may think." I told him, smiling a bit. "I'm a witch."

His eyes widened and the next second he was choking on the drink of water he'd been taking. Scott was suddenly at his side, patting his back as Stiles fought to breathe again. "A witch?" He asked when he had control over his breathing again, looking between me and Scott.

"I only found out a few hours ago." Scott admitted, glancing at me. I smiled at the pair before looking down at the journal in my hands, flipping through it as quick as I could.

"She's a witch." Stiles breathed, his shock clear in his voice.

"Yes Stiles, we've established that." I said, pausing on the page I needed.

Stiles glanced up at Scott. "Dude, I made out with a witch."

"Wait, the two of you made out?" Scott asked, looking at me again.

I glanced up and smirked, shrugging my shoulders before looking at Stiles. "I need that water." I said. Stiles blinked and put the cap back on the water bottle before tossing it to me. I caught it with ease, checked one last thing in the journal before turning to the chalkboard.

"So, what are you going to do?" Scott asked, watching me as I held the water bottle in one hand.

"No matter what type of witch you are," I started, quoting my first teacher on the subject of witchcraft. "Scrying is a skill easily learned. It will allow you to view the past and the present so long as you are able to focus on one subject matter."

"What about the future?" Stiles asked.

I turned to him and smiled. "There are an infinite possible futures Stiles." I told him. "We can get a glimpse of something that _could_ happen, but we can never really know if it _will_."

He nodded slowly before I turned back to the chalk board. Holding the water bottle up, I focused on it. After a few moments, the ice began to melt rapidly before my very eyes. As soon as it was only liquid, it began to boil before the water level started to dip and the bottle began to fill with steam. Once there was no more water in the bottle, I unscrewed the cap and let the steam out. It raised out of the bottle slowly as I concentrated, watching the steam form a thin veil between me and the chalk board.

"Shit." I don't know who'd spoken, but I grinned as I closed my eyes, concentrating on Stiles. I felt the ghost of his lips on mine from last night, focused on the way he spoke and how he seemed to always move his hands when he did so.

"Lig a bheith le feiceáil ar an am atá caite." I whispered as I opened my eyes. The veil of steam shifted slightly before clearing. I watched, waiting, but after a few moments the veil started to fog again. "What?" My brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked, taking a step closer.

"It's…it's not working." I said, wiping a hand through the veil and it dissipated. "Something is blocking me from looking into the past." I turned to them, arms crossing over my chest. "I'm sorry, but it would take me time to be able to see it."

"Great." Stiles sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

Scott and I both looked over at him before I walked towards him, kneeling down and reaching up. "Stiles, hey, just because we can't see it doesn't mean we don't believe you." I said, carefully taking his hands away from his face. He kept his head bowed, but after a few moments looked up at me. "Now come on, let's get you out of here."

He nodded slowly and we stood. I put a hand on his arm and earned an uncertain smile before I turned to Scott.

"Head to class Scotty. I'll look after him." I said.

Scott looked between the two of us and nodded. "I'll call you later Stiles."

Stiles nodded as Scott turned and left. "Thanks." He whispered when Scott left the room.

I looked up at him to see he was staring at me. I smiled softly and stood on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Come on Sleepy."

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><p><strong>lig a bheith le feiceáil ar an am atá caite - roughly 'let be seen the past' in irish<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah, I couldn't help but get this chapter written so quick. After watching 'Riddled' a mere three hours ago, I got really pumped to get started on the chapter for that part, but I think there's going to be one more chapter between this one and the one covering that episode, to establish the relationship between Lani and Stiles a bit more. Also, the parts about Lani's past weren't exactly how I originally wanted to cover them, but it's kind of how this chapter sort of played out. I won't go into detail, but I'm sure you smarties can figure out the things I'm hinting to in this chapter. Anyways, enjoy!**

**PS: The editing I did on this chapter was done like super quick, so I apologize for any mistakes I made. Also, please review, they help fuel my urge to write this story!**

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><p>"So…you're a witch?"<p>

I glanced to my right and smiled at Stiles. "Yup."

We were sitting in my blue-aqua 1998 Pontiac Sunfire Coupe on the way to the hospital, despite his initial protests. He was fidgeting slightly, glancing between me, the pentacle charm hanging from my rear view mirror, to the scenery we passed by through the passenger side window.

"I made out with a witch." He breathed, shaking his head.

I laughed slightly. "Can't get over that, can you?"

"Nope." Stiles looked at me again, drumming his fingers against the arm rest on the car door. "So, I'm used to werewolves and hunters and kanimas and banshees, but witches…" He shook his head slowly. "Yeah I know nothing about witches."

I grinned. "Then how about I give you a crash course?" I asked, glancing at him.

He looked at me again and pressed his lips together in a flat line, thinking for a moment, before he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Alright." I looked back at the road again, slowing as I approached a stop sign. "Well what you read online about witches isn't exactly true. We aren't able to do all that, well not really. You see, there are several types of witches. There are the kinds that specialize in potions, those who use talismans or runes for spell casting, stuff like that. There's no cookie cutter Hermione Granger waving her wand to conger a small flock of canaries one minute, then skipping off to brew a polyjuice potion in the haunted girl's bathroom."

I heard him chuckle and smiled. "You're a Harry Potter fan?"

"I love irony." I told him, smiling wider. "Anyways, there are two types of witches that are sometimes called Supremes. They're the Elemental witches, like me, and the type most commonly mistaken as psychics."

"Psychics are witches?" Stiles asked, interrupting me again.

"Only the real psychics." I told him. "They often run those little businesses from their homes where they read peoples palms and look into their past or future through a crystal ball. Well, not really, but you get the idea. But it's more than that with them. They can actually get into your head, make you do and say things you often wouldn't. They're also able to move things with their minds. I've never met one before and I pray I never will. Apparently they're like a coin, two-faced. You never know what they might pull."

"Note to self, never go to a palm reader." Stiles joked, making me grin. "What about Elemental witches then? Like you?"

"Well, you have the four basic types: fire, water, earth, and air. It's all very cookie-cutter on the surface. We can control our representative elements, but we can do more than that, like your general spell caster."

"So what're you then, exactly?" He asked.

I let out a long breath, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm…special." I stated slowly, glancing at Stiles to see the confused look on his face. "Very, very rarely, an elemental witch can have control over two elements. You can tell when they come into their powers, usually between the ages of eleven and fifteen, because their eyes will change color to represent their element."

"But your eyes, they're…." He hesitated as he looked at me.

"Purple. Really dark, but they're purple." I told him and sighed. "Grey eyes for air, blue for water, green for earth, and amber for fire. Purple eyes mean fire and water or fire and air. I'm an elemental witch who can control fire and air."

There was silence for a few moments between us as I took a left turn. I waited for Stiles to say something, knowing he needed a few moments to soak it in.

"Damn." He finally breathed.

"You're telling me." I looked at him again and he smiled sheepishly, earning a small smile in return. "Stiles…a fire witch, even at my age, we're dangerous."

"What do you mean?" He asked, suddenly looking confused.

"When an elemental witch with control of fire comes into her powers, they usually kill themselves. It's hard to tell if someone is a witch before their powers begin to manifest unless you know the signs. When I was eleven years old and eleven days, I was doing my homework at Derek's and Laura's when suddenly, after getting really frustrated on a math problem or something, my homework caught on fire. If Derek hadn't been in the apartment with me, I probably would have burned in that building and killed everyone inside with me."

The silence returned, and even though I kept my eyes forward, I knew Stiles was staring at me, probably with his mouth hanging open in shock. Nervousness suddenly started to crawl to my chest as I swallowed around a lump in my throat.

"But no one was hurt?" He asked, making me blink and look at him for a moment.

"What? No, Derek put the fire out with a fire extinguisher they kept under the kitchen sink." I told him.

"And you're still here. So why are you still dangerous?" He asked, shocking me a little.

"Oh, well…fire is the only element that kind of has a mind of it's out. It's like a rebellious child. Add that with air, which is a fire's main fuel, I could easily burn down an entire town in a day if my emotions get away from me to a point where my anger reaches pretty intense levels…." I trailed off, suddenly lost in a memory before I shook my head, forcing myself to snap out of it. "Most fire witches, if they're able to not kill themselves right away, don't often get to be 30." I welcomed this last silence that followed as I pulled into the hospital's parking lot, parking the Sunfire in an open spot and letting the engine idle for a few moments before turning the key in the ignition. We sat in the car for about five minutes before I looked at Stiles. He was looking ahead of him, frowning a bit.

"That's unfair."

My eyebrows furrowed at his words as he turned his head to look at me. After a moment I snorted and leaned over, kissing the corner of his mouth. He blinked at me, surprised, but I merely smiled in response.

"You keep surprising me Stiles." I said softly, resting a hand on his arm a moment before I turned to get out of the car.

"Hey Kaylani."

I paused, my door half way open as I turned to look at Stiles again. "Yeah?"

"Thanks…for distracting me."

I smiled at him and nodded. "Any time Stiles."

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><p>"Dr. Gardner isn't back isn't until next week." The nurse sitting behind the counter Stiles was currently leaning against said. I'd learned quickly she was Scott's mom, seeing as her name tag read 'Melissa McCall', it had been a dead give-a-way. "Do you want to wait for one of the urgent care doctors, or ugh…" She paused, watching Stiles stand up straight again.<p>

I was standing a slight ways away, just with ear shot to listen to them talking and close enough so Stiles knew I was still there, but not close enough that they'd think I was intruding. I was leaned against the wall, hands in the pockets of my jacket as I watched the pair.

"Stiles?" Melissa asked, standing up. "Are you alright?"

"I don't…I don't know." He answered, and I knew my earlier distractions had slipped his mind, letting the anxiety back in. I pushed away from the wall, ready to step closer if he needed me. "I guess…I guess not really." He glanced over at me as Melissa walked from around the counter to step up to him She put a hand on his chest, starting to guide him towards me.

"Alright kiddo, come with me." She said, coaxing him along.

As they approached me, Stiles looked at me and held out his arm. "Kaylani."

I nodded and stepped up to let him drape the arm over my shoulders. He pulled me close, as if my presence made him feel more grounded or something. Melissa glanced at me, a questioning look in her eyes as I put my arm on Stiles' back, walking with him and Melissa towards a patient room just down the hall.

Melissa let me help Stiles to the bed, where I took his sweatshirt when he removed it. I folded it carefully and rested it on the portable table that could swing over the bed, so he could grab it if he needed it.

"Thanks." He said softly, smiling as Melissa picked up a chart.

"No problem." I told him, reaching up to pat his cheek. "You want me to wait in the hall?"

Stiles glanced at me before looking at Melissa. "Would it be okay?" He asked.

Melissa looked at me for a silent moment before nodding, smiling at him. "So long as she isn't too much of a distraction for you."

I smiled a bit at the light joke. "I'll do my best." I said, moving away from Stiles to sit in the chair that was about five feet from the bed. Once I was seated, Melissa moved towards Stiles and used the table with Stiles' sweatshirt on it to write on the paper on the clipboard easier.

"Alright Stiles, just tell me what's been going on." Melissa said, looking at him and smiling.

"Ugh, well blackouts, but not for that long." He started, reaching up to scratch his jaw as he leaned forward a bit to rest his elbows on his knees. "And sleep walking, which I used to do a lot as a kid. Also been having some…really bad anxiety." He glanced up, looking at the clipboard as Melissa wrote down the symptoms before he look down at the floor again.

"Panic attacks?" Melissa asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, a couple." Stiles looked at her before glancing at me, sitting up a little straighter. "Oh, and I temporarily lost the ability to read, but that might have had more to do with this giant magic tree and some…human sacrifice thing."

My head tilted a bit at that, knowing I'd be questioning him later about a few things. Well, it would either be Stiles or Derek telling me.

Melissa chuckled once as she looked at Stiles. "I remember something vaguely about that." She told him, then glanced over her shoulder at me. "I guess you know about all this then? Scott being a werewolf and all."

I nodded as Stiles spoke. "Ah, yeah, that's kind of a long story." When Melissa raised an eyebrow at him, he glanced at me before scratching the back of his neck. "It's a long story." He chuckled slightly.

"I'm good friends with Derek." I said, smiling at the pair. "And I'm not all that human myself."

Melissa's eyes suddenly held a bit of concern, but she nodded before looking back at Stiles. "How many hours of sleep are you getting?" She asked, turning back to the clipboard.

"Eight." Stiles said.

"A night?"

"In the last three days." Was Stiles' answer as he bowed his head. I leaned forward in my chair a bit, watching him count on his fingers. "Yeah, definitely eight." He glanced up at Melissa as she moved away from the clipboard before his eyes found me again. I offered a small smile, hoping it was more reassuring than revealing my concern. He didn't smile back at all, just looked down again.

"Have you been feeling irritable?" Melissa asked

"Yeah, possibly to the point of homicide." He swallowed nervously, glancing between me and Melissa.

"Inability to focus?"

"No."

"With my usual? Hard to tell." Stiles looked up, his eyes staying on me. I nodded towards him and smiled again, though this time I knew he could tell it was a smile purely of concern. It didn't sound good, not really. I was no health expert, but I could tell Stiles was stressed. With his life being as it must be, surrounded by werewolves and other supernatural creatures, I could understand why.

"Vivid dreams during the day?" I tore my eyes to look at Melissa. She'd unlocked one of the portable cupboards containing medical supplies, latex gloves on her hands as she started to fill a needle with a clear liquid. I sat up a bit straighter, watching her.

"Okay, basically all of the above." Stiles stated before Melissa walked back over to him. "Do you know what this is?"

"I think so." She told him, smiling a bit.

Stiles nodded before looking down at the needle in her hands. "Ugh, what's that?" He asked, suddenly looking more nervous about the needle than his condition.

"Do you trust me?" Melissa asked, giving him a serious look.

"When you're not holding a needle." He answered, causing both Melissa and myself to smile. She reached over, raising the sleeve of Stiles' t-shirt and wiping his skin down with an alcohol pad.

"It's midazolam, a sedative." She explained as she entered the needle into his arm. I watched as Stiles flinched slightly, watching as she pressed the sedative into his system.

"Why did you give me a sedative?" Stiles asked worriedly once Melissa had put the needle and gloves into the bio-hazard container sitting next to the clipboard.

"Because you, Stiles, are one profoundly sleep deprived young man." She told him, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. "You need rest. You need it now. Lie down."

"Okay." Stiles said, letting himself get gently pushed into a laying position on the bed. "Okay, how long does it take to-oh, not long at all." I sighed softly, watching Melissa start to tuck him in. Once the blanket was over him, she put a hand on his forehead and smiled down at him.

"Get some rest." She whispered before turning away.

I smiled softly, watching Stiles close his eyes as the sedative did its work. Settling back into the chair with no intentions of leaving the room for a while. I had just pulled my jacket closer around me when I heard the soft words, "Thanks, mom."

I looked up to see Melissa looking at the now asleep Stiles in shock. I blinked a couple times, glancing between the two before Melissa turned and met my eyes. She sighed, looking down at her hands. "She passed away about eight years ago. Brain disease." She explained. "Stiles wasn't even 10 yet."

My eyes widened and I nodded, standing up to move to stand by Stiles' side. I looked at his sleeping face before resting a hand on his arm. "_A__isling __milis_." I whispered. When I turned to Melissa again, she was watching me.

"What was that?" She asked, arms crossing over my chest.

"A spell, to give him good dreams." I explained, glancing over my shoulder at him for a moment before turning to her again. "I'm a witch."

She sucked in a breath, staring at me in silence for a minute before shaking her head. "Werewolves, human sacrifices, now witches. What is going on in this town?" She asked, and I knew she wasn't really expecting an answer, so I merely shrugged. She looked at me again, frowning slightly. "Kaylani, right? Listen, I don't know you, I don't know what your intentions are here, but Stiles is important to many people here."

"I know." I said, interrupting her. "He's important to me too."

Melissa's frown deepened before she sighed. "What is this, between the two of you?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." I told her, and it was the truth. I turned around, back to Stiles and smiled. "When I first met him, I felt this connection. Like a string attaching me to him." I reached out, tracing the features of his face with a finger gently and smiled when his nose wrinkled slightly when my finger went down the bridge of his nose. "I think there will be a day when Stiles needs someone to save him, and I'm meant to be that person. There's more to it than that, but I think that's the main reason why I felt that coming to Beacon Hills was so important. Something was drawing me to him, so here I am. I have no intentions of letting him get hurt."

Silence followed my words, and when I turned around to see if Melissa was still there, she was staring at me. Finally she nodded quickly, her entire frame relaxing as she uncrossed her arms. "You don't intend on going back to school, do you?"

I smiled a bit and shook my head. "Nope."

She sighed and looked at Stiles again before looking at me. I remembered her words, about Stiles' mom being dead, and I knew she could see the change in my features when she asked, "are you alight?"

I looked up, smiling grimly. "Stiles and I, we share something in common." I told her, this time being the one to cross my arms over my chest. "You said Stiles wasn't even ten when he lost his mother. I was thirteen."

She blinked and frowned, taking a step forward. But she stopped when I shook my head. "It was about four years ago. The police said it was suicide, after they questioned me, because I told them about the affair my father was having with a married woman that lived down the street, and how she knew about it." I closed my eyes and sighed. "After we buried her, I got out of the house because I couldn't even look at him. I blamed him. That woman he was seeing, her husband found out because it ended up getting into the papers. He divorced her, took their two kids, and about four months later, she and my dad married. I looked to him as the reason she died for so long, but…it was my fault." My eyes opened, and I could see the concern and that inner mother in her that wanted to wrap me into a hug to comfort me, but I knew if she'd do so I'd break down. "I told her about the affair."

"Kaylani…something like that, it's not your fault." She said, stepping up in front of me. Thankfully, instead of hugging me, she put her hands on my upper arms, looking me in the arm.

I shook my head, because I couldn't tell her the full truth of that day. "Everyone says that, but that doesn't change what happened."

She sighed and nodded. She seemed to be hesitating over something, but finally nodded once more before letting go of my arms. "Stay as long as you need." She whispered before leaving the room.

I didn't let out the breath I was holding until she was gone, my eyes closing again as I willed the tears back. I turned to look at Stiles, smiling sadly as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. When my hand found its way to his cheek, he seemed to turn into the warmth of my palm, causing me to smile for real.

"We're connected, you and I Stiles." I whispered, even though I knew he wouldn't wake, nor could he hear me. "I'm not going anywhere for a long time." I leaned down, placing a gentle, chaste kiss on his lips before going back to the chair. My messenger bag was leaning against the leg and I removed my jacket to use as a makeshift blanket. Pulling over another chair to use as a foot rest, I got comfortable and closed my eyes, trying not to think of the day my mother had died. "_Aisling milis_." I whispered before letting sleep take over.

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><p>I don't know how much time had passed, but I was surprised to see it was dark on the other side of the window when I was shaken awake.<p>

"Hey sleepy head." I smiled as I recognized the voice, Stiles' face coming into focus right in front of me. I could see Scott standing in the door behind him.

"Hey." I said, wincing at the sound of my groggy voice, thick from sleep. I cleared my throat as I sat up, catching Stiles grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and reached up to cup his face in one hand. "You look better." I commented.

"Gee, thanks." He chuckled, taking my jacket before offering me a hand to help me stand. When I was on my feet, I took the jacket back and slipping it on. "We should get you home."

I nodded, leaning in and kissing him. His eyes widened in shock as I heard Scott give a surprised cough and step out into the hall. I smiled into the kiss before pulling back, looking up into Stiles' amber eyes.

"W-What was that for?" He asked, clearing his throat when it cracked slightly.

I winked at him, bending down to pick up my bag from the floor. "Because Stiles, I wanted too." I turned back to him, holding back a small laugh at his surprised expression before slipping his hand into mind. "Come on, time to go home."

He nodded, letting himself be pulled into the hall where Scott was waiting for us, smiling sheepishly when Stiles and I had joined him.

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><p><strong>aisling milis - Irish for 'sweet dreams'<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm posting this before I head off to work, so the editing might be a little choppy. I just wanted to quick say thank you to everyone who's read this story, it means a lot to me that this little fic seems to be so popular, it has over 1k views! I used to have another account here, and I never reached those kinds of numbers even after finishing three stories and a couple of one-shots. So again, thank you for reading and enjoying this story as much as you seem to, and thank you for coming back to it. You, the readers, are what makes me want to keep this story going to the end. And next chapter, we see Lani's reaction to the events during 'Riddled'!**

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><p>I put my Sunfire into park and looked at the house on the other side of the road from me. I grinned at that teal blue 1980's jeep parked in the drive way before I turned off the car, sitting there for a few moments before getting out of the vehicle.<p>

Walking across the street, I slipped my hands into the army green vest I wore over a London Jack tank top, smiling a bit. I stopped at the front door and took a shaky breath before knocking. A moment later I heard movement on the other side before it opened and I smiled widely at the puzzled male before me.

"Sheriff Stilinski, right?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Ah, yes." He blinked a few times. "And you are?"

"Kaylani, I'm a friend of Stiles'." I told him. "Was hoping he'd be able to help me with some econ homework, I just started school here this week so I'm still a little behind."

The sheriff blinked before raising an eyebrow. "You're that teenager who's living alone in an apartment downtown?" He asked, causing me to blink in surprised.

I chuckled then, grinning at him. "I could swear an oath that I'll cause no trouble if you'd like." I told him.

He watched me for a moment before snorting. "I have a feeling that won't be necessary." He stated before turning and calling out, "Stiles! There's a Kaylani girl for you!" He shouted into the house.

"What?!"

I snorted at the surprised shout, followed by a loud thud before running footsteps could be heard. Stiles appeared at the top of the stairs in front of us as his father let me step into the house.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, moving down the stairs quickly towards us.

"Was hoping you could answer a question for me on some econ homework." I told him, smiling.

Stiles blinked a few times before looking me over. "You didn't bring your bag?"

"It's in the car, wanted to make sure you were willing to help first." I explained with a shrug of my shoulders.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, yeah okay." He said, then glanced at his dad. He made a movement with his eyes, silently shooing the older man. The sheriff raised an eyebrow at his son, glanced at me, then shook his head and started to walk further into the house.

"Keep the door open Stiles." He called over his shoulder.

Stiles' jaw dropped in surprise before he looked at me and flushed. I merely smiled at him. "I'll go get my bag." I told him, turning back to the outside world and heading back to my car.

Stiles was no longer embarrassed when I walked back into the house. He grinned sheepishly. "Hey, aren't you cold at all?" He asked, looking at my bare arms.

"Are you offering to warm me up?" I asked teasingly. His eyes widened and he blushed brightly, causing me to laugh. "I'm joking Stiles, don't get your panties in a twist."

For a few moments, he stood there opening and closing his mouth in shock, reminding me a bit of a fish. I snorted a bit and tugged his hand. "Come on, let's go up to your room and get some homework done."

Stiles closed his mouth, swallowing and nodding before turning back from the stairs. I followed him as he took the steps two at a time. Walking into his bedroom, I looked around, taking in the blue theme and smiling. "I like it." I said, looking at him. He stood in the center of his room, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"So…econ?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really." I said, letting the bag drop to the floor near the door. "I just wanted to hang out."

Stiles blinked at me. "Seriously?" He asked.

"Yeah." I smiled and sat down on the corner of his bed. "I also kind of wanted to check up on you. You've been avoiding me a bit at school. More than a bit actually."

"Oh, so you, ugh, noticed that?" He asked, frowning as he sat down next to me, rubbing the back of his hand.

"Stiles, I called out to you today and you turned and literally ran the other way." I told him, smiling. "What's wrong?"

"Just, umm, stuff." He said, looking down at his hands, fiddling with them a bit. I watched him for a few moments before reaching over, placing a hand over his and stilling them. He sighed and looked at me. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine." I said, tilting my head. "But you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He watched me in silence for a moment before nodding. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh. He looked down at our hands when he opened his eyes again, moving one of his to trace the rings on my fingers. "What is with you and wearing a ring on almost every finger?" He asked, smiling slightly.

I grinned at the topic change and rested my head on his shoulder, looking at them. "Laura gave me a few different rings for my fourteenth birthday and, I don't know, I just started wearing them all the time. Drove my old man crazy I'd spend all my allowance on rings."

Stiles chuckled slightly, his thumb running over the ring that looked like the London city-scape. "I'm not even going to ask how many you have." He whispered. His hand paused in its inspection before moving up my hand to the leather cord bracelet with the melchior pendant with a wolf engraved on it. "What about this?" He asked, looking at me.

"Another gift." I said softly, glancing up at him. "Derek gave it to me when he left to go find Laura when she came here to investigate a lead on the fire. He said if I ever needed to remember the days they'd spent keeping me sane in that damn town, I just had to look at this and think about those days."

"How long have you known them?" Stiles asked. "The fire was about seven years ago. Where did they even go?"

"Laura had said they travelled a bit when they decided to leave Beacon Hills." I explained, sighing. "Finally they got this dingy one bedroom apartment in the backwater town that was Empire, Nevada. I was two when we moved there, my dad had lost his job and needed work. Empire was a town for miners, a company town actually. We made sheetrock there, nothing special. I was about ten and a half when they showed up one day. Talk of the town, literally." I scoffed, shaking my head. "Empire was the kind of town where you knew everyone. There wasn't even two hundred people living there when the recession caused the place to just get wiped off the map seven months ago, when they shut down the mines. We were allowed to stay, to the end of the school year for families with kids, but it was like hell on earth."

I looked at him, and he was watching me. He offered a thin smile, silently letting me continue. "Compared to Empire, Beacon Hills is…nuts." I laughed grimly, frowning. "It took twenty minutes just to walk from one end of the town to the other, unless you wanted to walk to the mines. All that place had was a small housing district, a couple apartment buildings, the general store, a grocery store, and two bars. Anytime someone new moved in, like Laura and Derek, everyone had to meet them." I smiled faintly at the memories. "I'm pretty sure Derek hated it, moving to such a small town where everyone was asking them questions on a daily basis."

"How did you met them then?" Stiles asked. "Like, officially?"

"Laura." I said, frowning for a moment before I looked away and let a small smile appear on my lips. "She saved my life." Closing my eyes, I remembered the day. "There was this one man, single, in his forties, and a complete drunk. Apparently he'd gone to the mines still too hung over to work without risking the lives of others, so they sent him home. Instead of going home, he went to the bar, got drunk, and decided to drive two minutes to home. School had just been let out, we didn't have a bus, so I walked. I usually walked with this one girl, Clair Evengale, but she was home sick with the flu. So I was on my own." I paused, opening my eyes again. "He came out of nowhere, I don't think he even saw me, he was coming straight at me. Then suddenly Laura was just…there. She pulled me away before the dumb drunk could hit me, and he just kept driving. When I got home, my mom and dad found out what had happened and went nuts. They couldn't repay Laura with anything, we were dirt poor, everyone there was. So instead they asked her to stay for dinner. She told us about how it was just her and her brother, how their family had died in some accident, and they just wanted a place to stay for a while before they found their footing again. The next day, I ran into Laura at the general store and she asked how I was doing. From there I saw her almost daily, all over town. She told me later she was keeping an eye on me, because she had a feeling I was different, you know? I think she knew I was a witch long before Derek or I did, though apparently she'd shared her theories with Derek at some point, before my powers started to actually work. They were more like family to me than my own parents." I trailed off then, frowning.

"So this thing about you marrying Derek if you're both single when you're 18, what's that about?" Stiles asked after a few minutes, making me laugh.

"So Scott told you about that?" I asked, looking at him and he smiled nervously, nodding his head. I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head. "Derek's like a big brother I never had. I had a crush on him when I was little, yeah, but that was years ago. Why, are you jealous?"

He blushed slightly, looking away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. "Maybe a little." He admitted, making me smile. I leaned in, kissing him softly. He slowly started to respond, kissing back with uncertainty when a throat was cleared behind me, causing us to jerk apart in surprise.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled feebly at the Sheriff as he stood in the doorway, eyeing us. "Hey Sheriff."

He looked at me and sighed, reaching up to rub his temple. "I got called into the station. Do I need to be concerned about leaving the two of you alone?" He asked.

"Of course not." I said, grinning when I heard Stiles stuttering behind me. "We've only known each other a week. My policy is wait at least month to see if the guy actually cares. Course, no guy has." I shrugged, Stiles suddenly going silent behind me. I turned to him to see him looking at me with wide eyes and I smiled.

"Fine, whatever. Just…be safe." The sheriff sighed before leaving us alone again.

Stiles' eyes widened when his dad left and he looked at me, face red in embarrassment.

"So….." He started before trailing off, frowning.

"Yes, Stiles, I'm a virgin."

His eyes widened again, and for a minute, he didn't dare look at me. I smiled a bit, watching as he started to fiddle with his hands again, randomly scratching at some part of his face. Finally his nerves started to get to be too much and I reached over, taking his hands in both of mine again.

"Will you relax Stilinski?"

Stiles' entire body froze before he looked up at me. "How the hell do you stay so calm about this stuff?" He asked me, shaking his head slowly.

"Self-confidence does wonders." I stated, one hand going up to run my fingers through his hair. Stiles closed his eyes, leaning into the touch slightly before he sighed.

"You're sleeping decently, right?" I asked, watching him.

"Better than I was a few days ago." He said, looking up at me. "Not by much though."

I nodded, pulling my hand away before standing up. "Come on." I said, moving to the other end of the bed so I could sit with my back against the wall and his pillows.

"But I thought…"

"We're just going to talk." I told him with a grin, patting the bed next to me. "Now come join me."

Stiles looked at me for a moment before shaking his head, moving to sit next to me. He kept his knees straight in front of him, though he crossed them at the ankles and crossed his arms over his chest. I looked at him and sighed softly.

"How many hours?" I asked him. "And I mean per night."

"…three…four if I'm lucky." He shrugged.

"Okay, that's a little better." I admitted. We sat in silence for a while, to the point that I couldn't tell exactly how many minutes it was before either of us moved or talked. Stiles shifted a bit, adjusting himself. When I looked at him, it appeared that he was trying to say something. I waited for a moment before he looked at me and sighed.

"I don't know how to say it." He said softly, looking in front of him again. "But…what is this, between us?"

I blinked, surprised. "To tell you the truth…I'm not entirely sure."

He nodded slowly, looking at me. "Then what do we do?"

"Let things happen as they happen." I said, smiling softly. "I can sense something, connecting us, I just don't know exactly what it is yet."

Stiles blinked and nodded again, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. "Okay…yeah that…that works."

Together, we looked in front of us again, welcoming the silence that followed. After a few minutes, I rested my head on his shoulder and let out a long breath. "Hey Stiles?"

"Hmm?"

I hesitated, knowing from my own experiences that I was bringing up a forbidden topic. "When I brought you to the hospital Monday, after Scott's mom gave you the sedative, you said something." I started. "It was pretty shocking, though at that time I still didn't know anything about you really so at the time, I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

I knew he'd turned his head to look down at me, I'd felt it, but I kept my eyes forward. I swallowed and closed them, fighting back the tears I knew were about to come.

"You called her mom." I said softly, feeling him stiffen against me. "She told me about what happened to your mother."

For the first time since I'd met Stiles, the silence between us was uncomfortable. Though it must have only been a minute or two, it felt like an hour before he spoke.

"It was right before I turned ten, like a month before." He said, a hand reaching up towards his face, possibly to wipe tears from his eyes.

"I was thirteen."

The words came out barely as a whisper, I was surprised he'd heard me.

"What?"

I pulled away and looked up at him. My eyes were wet with tears I hadn't shed in a long, long time. "When my mother died." I told him. "I was thirteen when my mother died."

The look we shared, there was no pity, no awkwardness about not knowing what to say. There was only a mutual understanding. This fact in our lives that we shared, it was just a single thread in the tapestry that was this odd connection. I hadn't been lying to Scott and Stiles about being unable to predict the future, but whatever was going to happen, I knew every line would lead me right back to Stiles.


	6. Chapter 6

**If this chapter had a title, it would probably be 'Threads'. I was really excited for this chapter, the 'Riddled' chapter, because it gave me a chance to really write more on the relationship between Lani with everyone else but Derek and Stiles. Well, not everyone, but we get a chance to see a bit more on how the others view her and what not. I swore not to write a Mary Sue character, and I've read a lot of Stiles/OC fics where the OC is this total tom-boy, but best friends with Lydia. Now Allison is a bit of the tom-boy type, with her kick ass skills, but she dresses a lot more like a girl than Lani tends to, so the Lydia-Allison friendship makes sense to me, but I don't see Lani and Lydia always getting along. I actually have an idea for a little spat between the two later, but we'll see how the show plays out from here. The previews for 'Letharia Vulpina' has already given me some ideas, but I'll have to wait for the actual episode to see what I can do. You guys have no idea how excited I am! Though that might have something to do with these energy drinks… :)**

**Enjoy, and don't forget to R&R (Read and Relax!). Reviews are always loved!**

**PS: I sprained my wrist on Saturday, so writing has slowed down a bit, which is why this chapter is so late. :(**

**WARNING: Longest chapter yet at 6,389 words!**

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><p>The call had come in the middle of the night, just after midnight to be exact. I hadn't been asleep, otherwise I may have missed it, and I'm glad I didn't.<p>

"Hey, Scott, what's up?" I asked after looking at the caller ID and seeing Scott's name flash across the screen. I'd answered, setting him on speaker so I could continue to focus on the homework still laid out on the floor in front of me.

"It's Stiles." Scott's words made me freeze mid-word, my hand freezing over a piece of paper I'd been writing on. "He's missing, and we think there's someone with him."

"What do you mean, we?" I demanded, instantly on my feet. I still wore the same clothes I had at school that day, so I merely had to slip my boots back on and grab my keys and bag before I was walking out the door as Scott spoke.

"He called me, said he doesn't know where he is and he was whispering because he thought there might be someone with him." Scott was saying. "Listen, I only called because I knew you'd want to help find him, but I need to you to tell me the truth. Do you know where Stiles is?"

I frowned as I pressed the elevator button to head down to the parking garage of my apartment, switching my phone off of speaker and bringing it up to my ear. "Trust me Scott, I really wish I knew."

I knew he couldn't hear my heartbeat over the phone line, but something about the tone of my voice must have convinced him. "Okay, okay. Listen, Isaac and I are about to head to Stiles' place, try and pick up his scent. Maybe you could come with an-"

"Scott, I'm almost to my car, I'll see you in about ten minutes." I told him before hanging up my phone and unlocking my Sunfire. I slipped into the driver seat and let out a shaky breath, taking a moment to close my eyes and force myself to calm down.

I had come to a conclusion about something early today, something that had to do with Stiles. I liked him, more than I should when it came to a guy that a week ago I didn't even know existed. But time was just a number, and the time I'd spent with Stiles so far had probably been some of the greatest moments in my life, especially after my mom. But I knew what was coming. One day I was going to fall, and I wouldn't be able to pick myself up.

"Come on Kaylani, you can't break down now." I whispered to myself before forcing my eyes to open. "__Lig scáthanna chlúdach mo__." I breathed as I shifted the car into drive and drove off, the security guard not even glancing up as I drove out of the garage.

With the spell making it impossible for anyone, cops included, to see or hear the vehicle driving far above the speed limit through town, swerving past slow moving vehicles, though there were very few during this time at night.

It only took me about seven minutes to actually pull up to the Stilinski house after leaving my apartment building. There were a couple lights on, mostly the one at the entrance way and Stiles' room. I shut off the car, the spell slipping away when I slid out of the seat and sprinted to the front door. When I reached it, I tested the handle to find the door unlocked and quickly made my way up to Stiles' room, halting in the entrance.

Scott and Isaac had already made it here, but I was surprised to see Lydia Martin and the straight twin, Aiden. They all turned to me when I appeared in the door way, panting slightly from my sprint, but my attention was quickly drawn to Stiles' bed.

"That wasn't here yesterday." I stated, walking forward slowly as I stared at the multitude of red string connecting different cases on Stiles walls to a pair of metal scissors jammed into his bed. "The photos and articles were, but the string, that's new."

"He uses red for unsolved cases." I turned to Lydia, who was now standing to my left. Her lips were in a thin line as she looked at me, and I knew there was one main reason why she was looking at me with cold eyes. No one in this room trusted me, not really. Scott played nice because of Stiles, but the others had little reason to trust me. The only one in Beacon Hills that wasn't related to me was Derek, who I knew would always trust me and my opinion. Stiles was on his way to truly and completely trusting me, but he still wasn't there yet.

"So, do you think you'll be able to find out where he is?" Scott asked, watching me as I turned back to him. I watched him for a moment before turning back to the wall and string, a small frown on my face.

"I should be able to." I said softly, turning my back to the wall and went to the closet, opening it up.

"Okay, what are you doing?" At any other time but this, Lydia's tone would have caused me to make a snappy comment, but right now I was focused on one thing, finding Stiles.

"I'll be able to find Stiles better if I have something of his." I explained, looking through his clothes. I paused on one and pulled it from the hanger. It was a blue and white ringer t-shirt, and even though I haven't seen him wear it before, I could feel there was something special about it.

"Wait, is he still out there?" Lydia asked as I turned back to the group. "You don't know where he is?!"

"Which is why I called Kaylani." Scott said as I set the shirt on the end of Stiles' bed and opened up my messenger bag to pull out my black journal and a small, octagon shaped mirror, setting both next to the shirt. When I glanced back up at the others in the room, there were four sets of eyes on me.

I sighed and grabbed my journal, opening it. "By scrying, I can view things of the past and present and before anyone asks, yes, I can also view the future, it just has an insanely tiny chance of happening, so there's no point in looking." I began explaining. "By having something of Stiles', I can sense his location better, sort of forming a temporary bond with him." I looked up at the four other teens, getting slightly confused looks from all but Scott, who'd heard half of this already. He nodded to me before I looked back at my journal, flipping to the right page. "Listen, if this doesn't work, you wolves will have to track Stiles by scent."

"What do you mean, 'doesn't work'?" Isaac asked.

"In the classroom, when you tried scrying for when Stiles was there, you said something was blocking you." Scott said, and I knew his eyes were on me. "You think it might have something to do with Stiles?"

"I don't know." I answered truthfully, glancing back up at him. "There's too much going on to be sure." Scott nodded to me, silently allowing me to continue.

After a few moments of me setting up, Lydia turned back to Scott. "What else did Stiles say?"

"He said he was in an industrial basement somewhere." Scott answered. "And something's wrong with his leg, it's bleeding." At that comment, my hands froze for a moment before they continued working. I'd folded Stiles' ringer t-shirt neatly and placed the mirror over it, now I just needed the right words.

"And he's freezing." Isaac was adding.

"Tonight's the coldest night of the year." Aiden stated, causing me to frown at its truth. "It's going to drop into the twenties."

"What did his dad say?" Lydia asked.

I sensed Scott's hesitation before he even opened his mouth, causing me in my search to turn and look at him. "I didn't tell him yet."

"Stiles is bleeding and freezing and you didn't call his dad?!" Lydia snapped.

"Stiles asked you not to, didn't he?" I asked, causing all four to turn to me with confused looks in their eyes. "What? You lot keep me away with a twenty foot pole but Stiles actual wants to get to know me. I was here last night, we talked about practically anything for about two and a half hours. If you ask me, that's him making an effort the rest of you don't seem to care to make."

Scott and Isaac had the decency to look a little ashamed at my statement, Lydia, not so much. She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I won't apologize for being caution of some random girl, a witch, showing up and thinking she can swoop in and take over."

I blinked before frowning and stood slowly. "I do not think I can take anything over." I told her once I was standing straight. "I am trying to help, and if you're giant ego can't wrap around that fact than I'm sorry you're not as smart as Derek mentioned you were." She blinked at me, obviously surprised. "Yeah, Derek knows you're not some ditsy red-head. I'm sure at this point everyone knows just how smart Lydia Martin is now that Jackson isn't around. And no, Derek didn't tell me about Jackson, Stiles did. It came up last night not long after he told me about how in love with you he is. I'm sure you're aware of that, yet you prance around, the banshee running with wolves, and completely ignore him. It's sad really, I've only been here a week and I already know Stiles deserves a lot more than you. Now please, stop talking for five minutes so I can do more than stand around with my mouth hanging open like a fish."

Lydia's mouth snapped open and yeah, I could admit we were never going to really get along. But I didn't need her to like me to gain her trust. I turned my back to them and knelt down at the end of Stiles' bed, grabbing my journal and double checking the spell before I put a hand on the frame of the mirror. "_Lig a bheith le feiceáil an ceann a lorg_." I breathed, leaning over the mirror as I thought of Stiles, focusing on the memory of his voice and the heat of his body as we sat side by side on the very bed under my fingers.

All I got were glimpses, which confirmed my fears that Stiles wasn't as human as I'd thought, that or something was making sure I wouldn't be able to find him. And what I saw confused me. I got flashes of a basement, like one found under an industrial warehouse like Scott had mentioned. But I also got glimpses of tree roots and leaves scattered over dirt and grass. My brow furrowed as I concentrated harder, gasping at a momentary glimpse of Stiles. One of his feet was in a bear trap, covered in blood. In the next instant, all I saw was sharp teeth and gauze.

I jerked away from the mirror suddenly, unaware that I had been grasping Stiles' ringer shirt in my hands until it followed me from the bed, the mirror clattering to the floor. My breathing was shallow, my eyes wide, as I turned back to the others. Their faces showed concern and worry, but I ignored all but one. Walking over to Scott slowly, I pressed the t-shirt into his hands, my free hand grabbing his arm. "There's something with him." I whispered, looking him in the eye. "You need to find him Scott."

He nodded slowly and opened his mouth before he flinched. Confusion flooded my systems before I felt it. I ripped my hands away from him, glancing down to see the flames flickering over my fingers. Looking back up, Scott made eye contact with me, clearly shocked at what we were both seeing, before I ran out of the room and to the street. I heard footsteps behind me when I collapsed in the center of the road, far enough away from any car or house that when I lost control, which I knew I would, I wouldn't cause any permanent damage.

"Stay back!" I called, wincing at the feel of the asphalt biting into my palms as I leaned over on my hands and knees. The person who'd run after me came to a halt at the curb.

"What's happening?" I recognized Scott's voice as my eyes closed, trying to slow my breathing.

"I'm losing control." The words came out in a quiet whisper, but I knew he could hear them, as well as the steady beat of my heart that told him I wasn't lying. I was losing control, because the idea of Stiles trapped and hurt with that…that thing, it scared the hell out of me. My heart ached at the idea of possibly losing Stiles. I still had a lot to learn about him, so much I wanted to tell him. Because telling him everything, all the good and the bad, that I could do. Not even Derek knew everything, but I could tell Stiles. "_Lig scáthanna chlúdach mo_." I whispered, knowing what was about to happen. I'd only ever lost control like this once, the day I'd found my dad in bed with the woman that was now my step-mother. The day I'd told my mom what was going on, only to learn she'd already known. The day I had watched my mother become engulfed in violet flames.

The scream that tore from my throat was silenced by the spell I'd breathed just in time, the light of the fire shooting up towards the sky around me darkened by shadows. From the curb, I knew Scott could see it, the black, light-less flames licking at the night sky. I could feel the heat coming from them, but it didn't hurt. No, my body welcomed the fire that surrounded me.

The flames died out with my scream, disappearing as abruptly as they'd appeared. My entire body was shaking as I heard Scott slowly approach me, hesitating a few feet away.

"You okay?"

I glanced up at him, seeing genuine concern in those puppy-dog brown eyes as he looked down at me. I nodded slowly, not trusting my voice. Instead, I slowly moved to stand, but hissed when my legs gave out under me and I fell back onto my knees. A hand appeared in my line of vision and I looked back up to Scott, who was offering me a hand. I swallowed thickly, staring at him a moment. The last person who'd seen me lose control like that was dead, the only two who'd known about that had looked at me in fear, which I understood because of how the siblings had lost the rest of their family, but here was this random guy, the best friend of the boy I felt connected with, looking at me with only concern and offering me a hand.

I took it slowly, wobbling a bit as he pulled me to my feet. Scott steadied me as I watched him, his hands on my elbows.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>I had hesitated when Isaac told us that Lydia and Aiden were going to look around Stiles' room a bit before following us to the Police Station, but eventually I agreed to go with Scott and Isaac, thankful the latter had grabbed my things. Apparently the two had ran here, so I opted we take my car since it would take too long for me to get enough time to follow them on foot by borrowing their werewolf abilities. I ignored the speed limit signs, only paying attention to Scott's directions and, four minutes later, we were pulling up in front of the station.<p>

I put the Sunfire into park, the two wolves already out of the car by the time I killed the engine. I hesitated before following them into the station, but the image of Stiles trapped in that warehouse had caused me to push open the door to my car and run after them.

By the time I'd made it to where Scott and Isaac were, they'd must have already told Sheriff Stilinski what had happened. The older man had both his hands on the desk of one of his deputies, his body bowed at that shock of hearing what the two teens had told him.

When the door closed behind me, the Sheriff's head snapped up. Our eyes met for a moment before he stood straight again. "If his jeep is gone, that's where we start." He said, turning to the deputy. "Perish, put an APB out an a blue, 1980 CJ5 jeep. Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sublevel, any kind of building he could have gotten into while sleep walking. It's the coldest night of the year so far, so if he's out there barefoot and in just a t-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast, let's think fast." The sheriff turned towards me, Scott, and Isaac. He hesitated looking at me before frowning slightly. "You three, come with me."

I nodded, following them into the Sheriff's office, closing the door behind us.

"Okay," The sheriff started once the door was closed. He spared me another glance at me before turning to Scott. "Is there anything you need to tell me that I can't everybody out there?"

"Lydia knew he was missing." Scott said.

"And she'll find him?"

"Well she's working on it." Isaac said, looking at me. "But Kaylani got a look at him already."

I watched the confusion appear on the Sheriff's face as he turned to me. "How?"

"I'm a witch." I started to explain. "There's this thing we're taught early on, called scrying, it allows me to view things I normally wouldn't be able to see. I was able to establish a connection with Stiles, basically see what he sees." I hesitated for a moment and frowned. "Listen, guys, there was one thing I didn't mention at the house."

"What?" Scott growled, turning his entire body to me.

I took a step back, eyes downcast. "I can't be sure because I've never tried to establish a scrying link with someone while they were asleep or sleepwalking, but what I saw, it's possible that I was seeing into his dreams, not the reality around him."

"Explain." The sheriff ordered.

I raised my eyes to look at the older man and nodded. "I saw an industrial basement, like Stiles had told Scott when he'd called him. His foot was caught in what looked like a bear trap," the sheriff winced then, causing me to frown as I continued, "and it was covered in blood. He also wasn't alone. There was something there, something almost human. Its teeth were all sharp, almost like a shark in a way, but not. And its face was covered in layer upon layer of gauze. But I saw more than that, glimpses of stuff that you wouldn't find in a basement like that. I saw glimpses of the forest floor."

The three others in the room stayed silent once I stopped talking, the silence almost deafening for a moment before I opened my mouth again.

"Listen, I might be wrong, I'm not sure where Stiles is, any of the things I saw could have been reality, but I have no way of separating the two. Scrying isn't my expertise, I'm sorry." And I was, I was sorry I didn't know more, wasn't more skilled in way that could help Stiles. I'd barely gotten to know him and I might already be losing him, the only person in this town who wanted to get to know me.

Scott and Isaac must have sensed my raise in panic, because they were both at my side when my legs gave out beneath me, catching me before I fell to the floor. I let out a quiet 'thank you' as they lowered me into a chair.

"Is she okay?" I heard the sheriff ask as I closed my eyes, attempting to calm myself.

"She's taking this really hard." Scott said, his face in front of mine when my eyes opened again. He was searching for something, and for a brief moment, right before he turned away, I wondered if he'd found what he was looking for. "You afraid, of losing Stiles." He'd downcast his eyes, as if ashamed to look at me.

"He's the only one in this town that seems to care about me." I almost spat, but instead my tone was tired.

Scott looked up again, frowning. "I didn't know if I could trust you." He spoke softly.

We started at one another for a few moments. "And now?" I asked.

"Now I know I can trust you when it comes to Stiles. The rest will come."

I nodded in acceptance and leaned forward. "Find him Scott."

* * *

><p>I had border-line kicked and screamed when the three of them had insisted I stay at the station. The sheriff had said that if I was there, then if Stiles called or showed up looking for his dad, I would instantly been able to contact the others. I had been reluctant to agree, but I knew after my almost panic attack that I probably wouldn't do them much good out there. If anything, they'd be worried about me collapsing again. After all, third time's the charm.<p>

But I didn't let any of them leave before making all three of them swear to contact me right away if they heard anything.

As the minutes ticked by, my mind went everywhere. I got a text from Derek, of all people, saying they'd picked up Stiles' scent at the hospital, but he wasn't there. A small part of me was relieved to see Derek was helping, and I'd sent him a quick 'thank you' text before I'd started pacing in the Sheriff's Office again.

Not long after Derek's text, a man entered the station. I knew he wasn't part of the precinct, no one wore a suit and tie here. One of his arms was in a sling, and he must not have noticed me as he approached the deputy, Perish, I think his name was. Their voices carried in through the now open door.

"Where is everyone?" The man in the suit asked. "We get a lead on our sword wielding maniac?"

I froze at his words and looked at the two wanted posters that hung on the wall not far from where Perish sat.

"Nope." Perish was saying. "But we've got posters up all over town for your guy."

"Not exactly how I described him to the sketch artist." Man in suit commented.

"Well, you aren't exactly the priority of the night, Agent McCall."

My attention snapped to the man in the suit, Agent McCall. Now I understood why I'd sensed tension between the two speaking men. This man was Scott's dad, an FBI agent who'd not only walked away from his family, but he was also trying to get Stiles' dad, the Sheriff, fired. Now that I could place a face with the name, my dislike for this man grew.

"What does that mean? What's the high priority?" McCall asked.

"Stiles is." I answered, stepping out of the office. He turned to me, and I didn't miss the frown that appeared on Perish's face, but I ignored him.

"What are you doing in there?" McCall demanded. "And what about Stiles?"

"First, I was left here when I almost had a panic attack. Out there, I'd be collateral damage I guess. Second, Stiles is missing." I explained, walking up to him. "So, Agent, you'll have to forget about this sword guy and focus on the fact that there's a teenage boy, a friend of your son's, out there possibly freezing to death."

I watched as the man's jaw clenched before he turned to Perish. "Can I see what we have so far?"

I watched as Perish gave McCall everything they had so far on Stiles' disappearance, including the transcripts of the phone calls Scott had with Stiles. McCall seemed to hesitate when I followed him back into the office, but in silence we went over the evidence together.

"You know Scott?" He asked at one point, causing me to look up at him.

"We have a few classes together at school." I stated simply, looking back down at the papers before me. "And if you want to question me about what Scott thinks of you or whatever, there's no point. I only know about you because Stiles mentioned it once. Scott's never mentioned you and we aren't that close for him to anyways."

There was silence for a while, and I was starting to think he'd go back to no talking at all. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

"If Stiles mentioned me, I'm sure you know why I'm in Beacon Hills."

"Yup." Was my simple answer, I didn't even look up this time.

"Listen, I'm just doing my job." The man defended, causing me to look up at him, the expression in my eyes hard.

"And you need to listen that I don't really care." I spat. "The matter of the fact is, you still want to see the Sheriff fired. I haven't been in Beacon Hills long, but I can tell you something about the dear Sheriff. He cares about the people here, and I don't just mean those he cares about, I mean everyone. I've seen cops that don't give a damn about the people they're supposed to protect. I grew up in this dump of a town that didn't even have a sheriff. The nearest police station was about a hundred miles away. A cop would show up every other day to check up on us, but he'd only stay in town for an hour or two. An hour or two every fourty eight hours, with how small that town was, we all could have been slaughtered before someone realized what happened, the killer already long gone." I closed my eyes and breathed. "Listen, I have some issues with my dad, I blame him for my mother's death, so when it comes to men who've turned their backs on their family, I really don't give a damn." I was lying, about blaming my father, but it was easier than telling people the truth, especially when they didn't know everything about me.

McCall had a frown on his face before he turned back to the transcripts in front of him. I welcomed the silence.

Not much time passed until something changed. Suddenly McCall was standing, one of the transcripts in his hands as he went back out to where Perish sat. "Hey, is this the exact transcript of Scott and Stiles' phone call?" He was asking as I followed after him.

"It's what he gave us." The deputy responded.

"But these words, Stiles says 'something smells terrible, my eyes are watering'." McCall read. Perish shrugged, seemingly as confused as I was about the agent's point.

"Hello?" A familiar voice asked from another part of station. Both McCall and I turned towards it. "I'm Melissa McCall, I was hoping to see Agent McCall."

"Melissa!" I called, moving in front of the FBI agent to hug the woman as she turned towards me.

"Kaylani? What are you doing here?" She asked, her arms wrapping around me instinctively.

"I nearly had a panic attack, Sheriff Stilinski thought it would be best if I stayed here." I explained, pulling away. "Sorry for the hug attack, it's just good to see you."

She nodded, offering me a small smile. "How you holding up?"

"It's easier if I have something to distract myself with." I admitted, then added in a hushed whisper. "By the way, I met your ex-husband. Quiet the charmer."

I received a small snort of laughter before Melissa looked over my shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Agent McCall asked as he approached us and I stepped to the side.

"My shift at the hospital just ended, I was wondering if I might be able to help at all." Melissa admitted.

They looked at each other for a few moments before Agent McCall nodded. "I have an idea. You can come with, but you, you're staying here." He said, pointing at me.

"No way in hell." I snapped, frowning. "Stiles is my friend, if you think you know where he might be, then there is no way I'm letting you leave me here."

"You're a minor and a civilian, you're staying here." He argued.

"She's a civilian!" I pointed out, gesturing to Melissa.

McCall was about to respond, but Melissa laid a hand on his arm. "She's coming with." For a moment it looked like McCall wanted to argue with his ex-wife, but finally he let out a breath and nodded.

* * *

><p>"So, what are you saying?" Melissa asked. She and her ex-husband were in the front seat of his FBI vehicle, me seated in the back with my arms crossed over my chest as I looked out the window.<p>

"I'm saying the real question might be, how do we know he's not still asleep?" McCall stated, glancing over at her.

"You mean he's been asleep the whole time?"

"People who sleep walk can do crazy things." McCall told us. "One guy goes down to the kitchen and cooks an entire meal. Another guy's found mowing his lawn, naked."

"What does any of that matter?" Melissa asked him.

I was about to make a comment, but McCall started talking again before I could say anything. "Remember that townhouse apartment we lived in?" He asked, turning his head to look at her, and suddenly I felt like I was about to be listening in on something I probably shouldn't hear. My eyes made contact with Melissa's in the rearview mirror. "There was that one night I came home drunk."

"Oh, one night?"

"Let me finish." The two exchanged a look and I started feeling uncomfortable just having to listen to this. I was starting to see why these two got divorced. "So I'm drunk, passed out on the bed, I get up to go to the bathroom, and suddenly I hear you, yelling 'what are you doing?'"

"Because you were in the closet, peeing into the laundry basket!" She told him, and I snorted quietly in my attempts to not laugh out loud.

"Yeah, I thought it was the bathroom!" McCall defended himself.

"Oh, yeah, you were drunk off your ass." Melissa mumbled.

"I was convinced it was the bathroom. So how do we know Stiles isn't just convinced he's in some sort of basement and isn't actually there?" I leaned forward slightly.

"He has a point." I said softly, causing both adults to look at me in the rearview mirror. "What, start to forget about me during your little banter?" I watched as they glanced at each other, Melissa looking away first with a slight blush on her tan cheeks.

"Anyways," McCall said, attempting to break the suddenly awkward silence, "I think he was still asleep when he called Scott. And that he's still asleep right now."

"Then where is he?" Melissa and I asked at the same time.

"I've got an idea about that too." He answered, looking at us both before he looked back to the road in front of us.

My eyes returned to look out the side of the road. We drove for a while in the silence that followed the conversation. After a while, McCall pulled over and turned off the car.

"The woods?" Melissa asked once we'd all stepped out of car.

"Just, trust me on this." He said, looking at her before walking into the trees. I glanced at Melissa, who was following him with her eyes before following him. I quickly followed as well. After a few minutes, I was glad I wasn't wearing boots with heels as we continued to trek through the woods, and I was starting to understand why my vision from scrying for Stiles had included glimpses of the forest.

"Melissa." I whispered, reaching forward to grab her arm. She stopped and looked at me. "I think he's right, about Stiles being out here?"

The older woman glanced forward to where her ex was still walking, clearly not having noticed us stopping. "What makes you say that?" She asked, looking at me again.

"I tried looking for Stiles, using magic." I told her in a hushed voice. "It was only glimpses, but part of what I saw, it looked like a forest floor. I think your ex is right in saying Stiles might be out here."

She looked at me for a moment before nodding. "Alright, we need to hurry." She said before going after her ex-husband again, and I was right on her heels.

McCall had stopped, finally noticing we were no longer right behind him. He didn't say anything as he looked between the two of us before he turned and started walking again.

"It's right up ahead." He said a few minutes later, ducking under a branch and turning a corner around a mound of dirt. I was close behind him, letting out a relieved breath as I saw Stiles lying in the dirt and dead leaves.

The three of us moved to him quickly, me dropping to my knees as Melissa and I pulled him out of the small cave he was partially in. As soon as we touched him though, he started shouting and twisting, grabbing at the dirt and rock as we pulled him to us.

"Stiles!" I called, trying to wake him up. McCall helped us get him out of the cave and into Melissa's arms as she and I tried to calm him. His shouting stopped suddenly, his eyes open and starting to come into focus as Melissa held him to her. He turned his head to her, breathing heavily as he began to calm down, looking between us. After a few moments, his eyes settled on me.

"Kaylani." He breathed, clearly confused.

"Yeah, it's me Stiles." I smiled. "You're okay now."

He nodded slowly as Melissa and I helped him to his feet. "let's get you out of here." Melissa said, an arm wrapped around him.

* * *

><p>I ended up falling asleep in a hospital chair again, refusing to leave Stiles' room once he'd fallen asleep. Melissa had tried getting me to leave, but I'd refused. Eventually the adults gave up, letting me stay. I only slept for about twenty or so minutes at a time, but finally, I got a call from Derek.<p>

"Der, hey, what is it?" I asked, blinking the sleep from my eyes.

"Where are you?"

"At the hospital, keeping an eye on Stiles." I told him, sitting up a bit. "Why?"

"Stay with him." He told me, causing me to frown a bit.

"Derek, what's going on?" I asked.

"I don't know yet, but I'll let you know when I figure it out." He hung up before I could ask him anything else, causing me to shake my head as I set my phone down.

"Kaylani?" I looked up, smiling at Stiles.

"Hey, how you feeling after your test?" I asked, getting out of the chair to join him.

"Still tired. Why aren't you at school?" He asked.

"Because school isn't as important." I told him, going sitting on the edge of his bed and putting a hand on his. "How are you feeling, in general?"

He stayed quiet for a moment before sighing. "Scared." He admitted softly, looking at me.

* * *

><p>"Kaylani."<p>

My head snapped up at Scott's voice, and I quickly reached up to wipe away any lingering tears. "Yeah?"

"He wants to talk to you."

I blinked and stood slowly, passing Scott and walking into the MRI room and over to Stiles slowly. He sat on the machine, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and those standard hospital gowns. He looked up as I approached him, stopping right in front of him. I smiled sadly, a smile which he returned, before reaching forward. Stiles' hand gripped mine and he pulled me towards him, into a hug.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into my ear, causing me to frown as my arms wrapped around him, my fingers touching the bare skin of his back.

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked.

"Because you move to a new town, take an interest in this guy, and it turns out he might be dying." He said softly.

My grip on Stiles tightened as I closed my eyes. "I'm not going to let you die Stiles." I whispered.

"There's no cure for frontotemporal dementia." He told me.

I pulled away, ignoring the tears that had returned. "No natural cure, but Stiles…Scott's an alpha, he won't let you die. Either you could take the bite or I could find someone, a healer, who might be able to help." I was speaking quietly, knowing the doctor couldn't overhear us.

"Why are you so concerned about me?" He asked, frowning. "You barely know me."

My breath caught in my throat. A part of what he said was true, I know, but I wasn't going to accept it. "I know enough." I said before leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. He kissed back slowly, but I knew I couldn't linger. "I should head out, let them do their tests."

Stiles nodded slowly and I helped him lay down on the MRI machine. He gave my hand a squeeze once he was settled, and I kissed his nose before leaving the room. When I closed the door behind me, I leaned against the wall, a hand going up to cover my mouth. I ignored Scott's question, probably asking if I was okay, as I slid down the wall and to the floor.

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><p><strong>Lig<strong>**scáthanna****chlúdach mo****cosán**** – "Let shadows cover my path" a spell used for something akin to invisibility. Think more of a chameleon adapting to match his surroundings without being seen by predators. In this case, it also makes the Sunfire's engine completely silent to anyone but Lani.**

**L****ig****a bheith le feiceáil****an ceann****a lorg****agam**** – "Let be seen the one I seek" the spell used by Lani to locate Stiles.**


	7. Chapter 7

**You lot are gonna kill me.**

**That is all.**

**:)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>When Derek had appeared at the end of the hall, I was quick on my feet. He approached me quickly, smelling my distress, and I welcomed his embrace as I sobbed into his shoulder. I don't know how long I held onto him, but eventually he pulled away, easing me into one of the chairs next to him.<p>

He, Scott, and I sat in silence for a while, Derek seated directly to my left as I leaned against his shoulder. They had spoken quietly, Derek telling us in his belief that Barrow had used Kira's powers to jump-start the Nogitsune's abilities in Stiles. The thought had shocked me, but all the signs were there. Our group fell into silence then, the males starting to talk not that much later.

"You know, the stuff you were telling me about chemosignals earlier?" Scott asked, looking at Derek. "It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift."

"I think you ended up teaching me more about that." Derek admitted, causing me to look up at him. He turned his head to look at me before looking back at Scott.

There was silence for a moment, a smug look on Scott's face before he asked, "You teaching me again?"

"Think of it more like, sharing a few trade secrets." Derek told him. He shifted slightly, and arm wrapping around my shoulders to give me a little added comfort. "You know, I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire. But, that's not the only reason I left."

My brow furrowed as I sat up a bit, Derek's arm still around me. He shot me a look, one that said he'd explain latter. I'd heard the name Cora before, during the rare times Laura and Derek were able to talk about their family. They'd thought Cora, their younger sister, was dead. So had I, but it seemed we were all wrong about that.

Derek turned back to Scoot, frowning slightly. "I needed to talk to my mother."

"You're dead mother?" Scott asked, blinking.

"She told me something that changed my perspective, on a lot of things." He said, the hand on my shoulder squeezing softly. I reached up, placing a hand on top of his and squeezing back. "She said my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills, they protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you."

I glanced at Scott across the hall from Derek and I, his eyes downcast as he soaked in the information Derek had just given him. I knew Scott was a 'true' alpha, knew he had the potential to be something amazing.

"Then I need someone like you to treat me a few trade secrets." Scott said, looking back up at Derek. His eyes glanced to me for a moment before he looked away. I sighed softly, then blinked when a thoughtful look appeared on his face before he stood.

"He's trying to protect us." He said, turning to look at us. "Stiles was protecting us."

Derek and I exchanged a look. "From himself." I breathed, the realization dawning on me. They ran off, and I was hot on their heels. I hadn't drawn on Derek's werewolf abilities when I'd leaned against him, so the two were quicker than I was. By the time I was able to catch up, we were on the roof.

"What are we looking for?" Derek asked, looking around.

"I'm not sure!" Scott answered as we looked around. "But I don't think Stiles was up here just struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something." He jumped up on a sort of ledge next to what I believed to be a generator, surrounded in a wire cage. He reached up, feeling around before he must have caught something, for the next thing I knew there was a bag at mine and Derek's feet. Tools of all sorts spilled from the bag, making me frown. The three of us looked around again before Scott looked upwards, possibly hearing something. When my eyes landed and what he and Derek were looking at, I frowned. Stiles had cut through a cable.

Before I knew what was happening, Derek grabbed me and pulled me against his chest, turning so that his back was to Scott and the cut cable as it snapped and the generator explodes, sparks flying in the air. The cut cable swerves and snaps through the air before going down the side of the building.

"Go!" I shout at the two as I pull away from Derek. "Go down to the parking lot, look for the others, I'm going to check on Stiles!"

The alpha and beta nodded as I raced into the building, running back down to Stiles' floor. I had a feeling he wouldn't be back at the MRI room, instead following my instincts as I raced towards the elevator. I skidded to a halt just down the hallway, the sight through the scrambling crowd causing me to gasp.

In the open elevator stood a woman, Japanese I'd guess, with two of the Oni behind her. Stiles was standing a few feet away, his back to me. I ran forward, using my elbows to push through the crowd and towards them. When I came to a stop behind Stiles, he was starting to turn towards me.

The grin that appeared on his face filled me with dread. I took a step back, my mouth opening to say something, but his arm snapped forward, grabbing the back of my neck. My eyes widened as I looked at him, my body frozen.

"If the Oni can't defeat you.," I heard the woman say, a flicker of interest appearing in the Nogitsune's eyes, "I know someone who will."

My breath caught in my throat as he turned his head to grin at her. When he turned back to me, he tilted his head to the side slowly, a gasp escaping my lips at the sudden pain shooting through my body from where his hand was gripping my neck, my world turning black a moment later.

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><p>My eyes opened slowly, slowly adjusting to the dim light around me. I blinked a few times, frowning as I tried to focus on my surroundings.<p>

My entire body ached, especially my shoulders. I could feel something nearly cutting into my wrists, suspending my hands above my head as I knelt on the cold floor. Licking my lips slowly, I was thankful for the fact that my abilities kept my body warm in cold temperatures.

"Ah, look who's awake."

My head snapped to the side and I winced at the pain that shot down my spine. I must have been out for a while, possibly twelve hours or more, because of how stiff my muscles were. The voice was familiar, but the coldness in it was foreign.

"Nogitsune." I hissed, eyes narrowing as he stepped into my line of site. I was looking at Stiles, but his eyes were cold and harsh. He grinned evilly, stopping when he finally stood in front of me.

"That's me!" He agreed, holding his arms out before he knelt down in front of me and reached out to grab my chin. "How ya feeling?"

"Let me go and I'll show you exactly how I'm feeling." I hissed, glaring at him.

He tsked, waggling the pointer finger of his other hand in front of my face. "You wouldn't want to hurt poor Stiles now, would you?"

My body stiffened at his words, though my glare kept. "Why him?" I asked. "Why Stiles?!"

The Nogitsune grinned, letting go of my chin to sit on the floor in front of me, leaning against a large pipe. "No one would have suspected Stiles. In fact, no one did. It gave me more than enough time to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" I asked, blinking.

His grin widened slowly. "Chaos." Was all he said before getting to his feet again. He walked away, disappearing again and I sighed, head hanging forward.

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><p>I had been fighting to stay conscious, to listen to what he was doing. But he wouldn't come back into my line of sight, always staying somewhere behind me. The Nogitsune made little to no noise, sometimes leaving the building, where ever we were, for some time. I didn't know how much time passed though, until I lost consciousness again.<p>

When my eyes fluttered open again, my arms were no longer held above my head and I was laying on the ground, for which I was somewhat grateful. Every muscle in my body no longer ached, but there were still chains around my wrists, only now the other end of the chain had them wrapped around a sturdy pole behind me. I gave them a small tug, frowning when a sharp scent reached my nose.

"I'd be careful if I were you. I hear wormwood if poisonous."

I froze at the words, turning my head to look at the Nogitsune. "Wormwood?" I asked, voice tight.

My eyes narrowed when he held up a small leather journal. My small leather journal, with all my notes from over the years. "Quiet the little book you have here." He said, sitting down on the floor where he had before, leaning back against the large pipe. He stayed silent as he flipped through its pages for a few moments before pausing, eyes skimming over the words. "Ah, here it is: 'Wormwood, often used in magic and charms to remove anger, inhibit violent acts, and for protection from curses.' Sounds like a good way to make sure you cooperate. So I got some wormwood oil and applied it to those chains while you were unconscious." He looked up at me and I frowned. I didn't feel any anger, and when I tried to allow fire to flicker along my hands, no flames appeared. I couldn't attack him like this, and if I struggled, the cuffs would cut into my skin, causing me to bleed and allowing the wormwood into my system.

"How pure?" I asked, meeting his amused gaze.

"As pure as they'd sell it." He answered. "So about seventy five percent."

I let out a slow breath and nodded. Seventy five percent, it was enough to kill me if it entered my blood stream, but also pure enough for the magical properties to affect a witch.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, my voice coming out weaker that I would have liked.

"To tell you the truth, I want you dead." The Nogitsune stated, setting the journal on the floor next to him. "But Stiles, see he's still up here," he pointed to his skull, "and he's fighting so hard to make sure I don't. If only he knew the truth."

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, the closest to anger I would be allowed under the influence of the wormwood.

The Nogitsune's smile spread slowly across his face. "Your mother of course."

My breath caught in my throat before I was able to let the air out through my nose. I kept eye contact with him, looking into those familiar amber eyes that seemed so cold now. The amusement in them would have angered me usually, but not in my current situation.

"How do you know about that?" I asked. "I never told Stiles, didn't give him enough clues. He doesn't know how she died."

"I figured it out, you just confirmed it for me now." He chuckled, letting those long legs stretch out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. "So, you killed your own mother in a burst of power. Maybe it's a good thing he won't let me kill you, the pain and chaos in your heart right now is so delicious."

I frowned, continuing to watch him.

After some time spent in silence, our eyes never leaving the others, he smirked. "Tell me, Kaylani, do you know what this connection between you and Stiles really is?" He asked. "Because I do. I've only seen it once before, while occupying a different host maybe thirty years ago. It's quiet rare, it seems. So pure, yet it can cause things to go so amazingly wrong."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I told him, which was the truth. I didn't know what this connection I had to Stiles was. And even though I couldn't throw any sort of violent magic in the fox's direction, I was still able to feel around for the thread that connected me to Stiles.

I was surprised at how much it hurt to not feel it there.

The Nogitsune must have realized what I was doing, for he laughed. "Oh little Kaylani, does it hurt so much that you don't know what's going on? I must say, you're going about it quiet an interesting way. All those not so innocent kisses. Poor Stiles really doesn't know what to think of you. But he's starting to trust you, isn't he? Quiet the fast development between two complete strangers. No wonder no one trusts you. They must think you're trying to slip your way into their little _pack_ by offering Stiles into your pants." He'd spat the word 'pack', causing me to frown. Obviously this fox was no fan of wolves.

"Just tell me." I said, then hesitated before adding, "please."

He snorted, smirking at me. "You know, in this day, the term 'soul mate' is so loosely used. You humans don't even have it right any more. I like the way theosophy puts it." He told me.

"Who?"

"Not who," he scoffed, "but what. Theosophy is a philosophy, particularly concerning the nature of divinity. They believe that god created these souls that were equally male and female."

I blinked in recognition. "Androgynous."

"Ah, you're familiar with the term." He chuckled. "Anyways, it's believed that the souls were split into their separate genders, becoming karmic beings in debt to God. They'd always seek out their other half, no matter how many times the souls had to be reincarnated. And once their karmic debt was purged, they'd fuse back together and return to heaven." The Nogitsune shook his head. "There is no heaven though. And the theosophoi, they don't know everything. You see, 'soul mates' are always destined to meet in their life. In one way or the other, but how they meet is never the same. Having a 'soul mate' gives you one of two options: love or death. So tell me, little Kaylani, can you really trust Stiles when he might be the one to kill you one day?"

He was up before I could respond, my eyes wide at the news. I didn't know if I could trust him, but the things he had said, for some reason they made sense.

"Where are you going?" I called after him, his footsteps becoming quieter as he drew farther away.

"To cause some chaos," was the short answer I received. When I heard the door close, the Nogitsune's presence gone from the room, I let myself break down, sobbing into the silence around me.

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><p><strong>Since no spells were spoken in this chapter, I decided to actually talk about the chapter down here, instead of possibly spoiling stuff by doing it at the start. So this chapter can probably labeled as 'tense', which I'd completely agree with. At first I wasn't sure about going this direction with the story, at leas the whole 'Nogitsune kidnaps Lani' part. The 'soul mates meant to either kill one another or love one another' was how I had sort of been planning to bring this story to eventually.<strong>

**I'd done a bit of research regarding androgynous souls and soul mates back in high school for an original short story I had to write for an english class back in high school, so my memory on it isn't the best. I did some quick researching for this chapter, to make sure I didn't get anything too wrong. The part about soul mates meant to either kill or love one another is all me though, and I think it'll add an interesting twist to the plot, especially with the added part of the Nogitsune possessing Stiles. To tell you the truth, I don't know if Lani will live or die. We'll just have to see how the show goes with the Nogitsune plot and I'll see how I can cooperate Lani into it.**

**And aren't I spoiling you lot? Two chapters in two days! I'm proud to say that since I posted chapter 6 yesterday, this story not only reached 2000 views, but also got 50 followers! Now, my dear followers, where are those lovely reviews? I only have 13 at this point! I try to hint, and I'm not going to force you to write one, but I'd love to read about what you guys think, and I promise to answer any questions you might have! Or even talk about what you thought of the latest episode!**

**Speaking of latest episodes, I know I promised a couple people that this chapter would cover 'Letharia Vulpina', but it really takes place at the very end of Riddled and during those few days that take place between the hospital and Stiles being found in the school basement by Scott and the twins. That's just how it worked out and I don't want to hear any comments about how short this chapter is! I wrote it in a day! Not even really, but you get the point. Okay, I think it's time for me to shut up. I'm gonna get started on chapter 8 right away, but don't expect it to be out till Friday at the earliest. And I promise to make it longer than 3k words! 3 ya'll!  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the major delay on this. I explain more in the Author's Note at the end of the chapter, so feel free to read first. Enjoy!**

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><p>The next time I woke, I was still alone. I don't know how much time had passed, but I knew one thing. I needed food, and water. My stomach was starting to ache, telling me I'd for sure been here for at least twenty four hours. But if I didn't get water soon, I'd become dehydrated, and a dehydrated witch could easily lose control of her powers when she starts to become disoriented. I wet my lips slowly, looking around me and blinking. My eyes had adjusted to the low light.<p>

There was a backpack about seven feet to my right, just sitting on the floor. My knowledge on kitsunes was extremely limited, but I knew enough to know they were tricksters. And if the Nogitsune was the worst of kitsunes, then it was possibly a trap. So I went against my instincts to survive and ignored it.

About an hour later, counting the seconds and minutes slowly, my curiosity got the better of me. I moved carefully, my wrists sore from the cold metal and wormwood oil on my skin. Unfortunately, even when I stretched myself as much as possible, my foot couldn't even make contact with the bag.

I swore under my breath, resting my forehead on the cool, cement floor. I racked my brain for the symptoms of dehydration. My mouth didn't seem to be drying out yet, but I could feel the start of nausea. Yes, a full day had definitely passed since I was in the hospital. Probably longer.

Raising my head from the floor, I looked at my chained wrists. If I had water, I could also wash off the wormwood oil a bit, hoping beyond hope that some of it hadn't soaked into my skin. I didn't feel any signs of being poisoned, but if even the smallest amount had soaked into my skin, then they magical effects would still repress my magical abilities.

So, there was really only one thing I could do. Wait.

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><p>I must have dozed off again, leaning against the pipe that my chains were wrapped around, for when I opened my eyes, I could hear shuffling to my right. I turned my head, noting that the backpack was now gone. Licking my lips, I noted the slightly drier feeling in my mouth and frowned.<p>

"Ah, good morning." Stiles' voice reached my ears and I frowned, looking up at the Nogitsune.

"Screw you." I hissed, voice rough from not using much in the past twenty four plus hours. He grinned at me, turning around and grabbing something before moving towards me. I didn't have it in me to fight him when he came into my reach. Great, another sign of dehydration: weakness.

"Here." He said once he'd knelt down in front of me, holding out a bottle of water.

I didn't move to grab it, glaring at the object instead. "What you lace it with? Wolfsbane?" I accused. "Black nightshade?"

He raised an eyebrow and brought the bottle back towards him. What I wasn't expecting was for him to open the bottle and take a drink. I watched his throat as he swallowed, glaring at his smirk. "Trust me now?" He asked, offering me the now open bottle again.

"No." I answered truthfully, but took the bottle from him anyways. I took a large drink, relishing in the cool liquid as it slid down my throat. "Why are you doing this?" I asked after a moment, looking at the ground between us to avoid is gaze.

"Keeping you alive, or keeping you here?" He asked.

"Both." I raised my gaze back up to meet his, frowning at his amused expression.

The Nogitsune gave a soft hum as he shifted, sitting on the floor across from me and copying my position down to the crossed ankles and hands in my lap. There were a few inches of air separating our feet. "You can thank Stiles for that." He stated with a small shrug. "Like I said earlier, he's fighting so very hard for me to let you live. It's actually quiet annoying, having his voice yelling at me in this head of his."

I snorted, holding back the smile that threatened to appear on my face. 'Go Stiles.' I thought. "So, he knows you have me."

"He does, but that doesn't mean he knows where we are right now." The Nogitsune replied with a grin. "Nor will I say it allowed so you can say it at random in hopes that he'll be able to pick up on it. Not that I'm going to let him have control again anytime soon, no, I have some plans for the both of you. I'll let Stiles go when it's in my best choice to do so."

I let out a shaky breath, glaring at him. "You know Stiles is dying right?" I asked, seeing the recognition cross his features. "His brain is shrinking, it's killing him. Something tells me it started when you decided to choose him as a host. So maybe he'll die before I'm faced with the choice to either kill him, die at his hands, or love him. Is it really a good idea to have a dying host? It might just end up killing you as well."

He raised an eyebrow at me, then grinned slowly. "Are you offering me your body in exchange?"

I hesitated. Truthfully, the idea hadn't crossed my mind. But if the Nogitsune was the cause for Stiles' illness, then there was a chance, small, but there, that completely ridding the Nogitsune from Stiles could help him heal. I closed my eyes for a moment. Such a small chance, but, it was worth the reward.

"And if I said I was?" I asked, opening my eyes slowly to look at him, my features emotionless.

The Nogitsune tilted his head to the side, studying me for a few moments before a smirk spread across his features. "Sorry, but I choose my host for a reason. Stiles serves a purpose, the boy who cries wolf. I'm not letting him go that easily, dying or not."

My face twisted as I growled at him. "Just let him go!" I snapped, jerking forward, but we held back by the chains on my wrists. I was careful not to let them cut into my skin, knowing the consequences would be swift if the wormwood oil entered my bloodstream. "Please." That single word sounded so weak, but I ignored it.

"Oh Lani, your pain is so exquisite." The Nogitsune nearly purred, leaning in so his face was barely an inch from my own. "Keep yourself alive Lani. When I let you out, you'll just be another pawn on the board. Yes, I'll love it when I get to watch you die, but not yet. You'll die when I'm ready for you to."

He pulled away then, walking over to the backpack and tossing it to my side. My eyes never left him till he walked up a set of stairs and out of my sight. I looked at the backpack, moving it to within the more comfortable range of the chains before opening it. Inside was a high schooler's junk food dream, plus a few healthier options. I shook my head, pushing it away, though still within range, and scoffed.

It wasn't long before my eyes turned back to the bag and my stomach growled, snapping my resolve. I reached in, pulling out a granola bar, and sighed softly. "It'll have to do." I said softly before opening the package.

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><p>When my head was clear again, no longer feeling the effects of dehydration, I went through the entire contents of the bag, taking mental inventory of what was inside. There was enough, if I ate small amounts four times a day, for me to last at least four days. Six days, maybe, if I only ate three times per day. Add in the four bottles of water, which were more important, I was good for a while, just not for long.<p>

The limited amount of water was my biggest issue. Even if I limited myself on the consumption, there was still one thing that concerned me: the wormwood oil. Even if I had washed the oil off with some of the water as best as I could, it had still soaked into my skin. Though it wouldn't poison me, it still limited my magical abilities.

I closed my eyes, trying to make a choice. With a cry of frustration, I kicked the bag of food, watching it move a foot, but still within my reach.

"I feel so useless."

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><p>Time was a curse, especially when trapped in the dark, alone. Counting the minutes was useless. I did the math. Sixty seconds in a minute, 3,600 seconds in an hour, 86,400 seconds in a day. It was too much counting, especially since I was sleeping time and again. The sleeping through me off, for I never knew how long I slept at a time. It could have been an hour or ten, and I'd have no idea.<p>

I hadn't seen the Nogitsune since he'd given me the backpack full of food. I'd gone through half of the contents already, eating only when I was at my hungriest. There was only a bottle and a half of water left, even though I only took a sip or two at a time to keep myself hydrated. I was going to run out soon, sooner than I'd hoped.

Staring down at my chained wrists, I felt conflicted. I could waste a bit of water, take the chance that it would be enough for me to at least do something to free myself. Wormwood had enough magical properties to see my fire as a threat, to stop me from using it. Maybe, if I washed off what I could, I'd be able to create enough heat to melt part of the chain and free myself.

But, if it didn't work, I would have much less water than I did. And that just meant possibly dying faster, no matter what the Nogitsune had planned for me. I wondered how painful it would be, dying from dehydration and starvation. Most likely, quite a bit.

I closed my eyes, wishing for some sort of sign to tell me what to do. Out there, somewhere, the Nogitsune was plotting. And he was using Stiles as a means to an end. Whatever that end was, though, I wouldn't find out. Not until it came to that point.

Willing myself to calm down, my heart racing in fear of what could be going on outside this dark room, I slipped back into sleep.

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><p>I must have been dreaming. There was no breeze to tickle my cheek in the dark room where the Nogitsune had me chained. Nor was there any light to warm my skin.<p>

"Lani?"

Yes, I was most definitely dreaming. Derek was out there, free. If he hadn't been able to find me yet, I doubted he'd been able to find me now, after however much time had passed.

But then I felt a pressure on my shoulder, light and comforting. I squirmed under the touch, the body heat almost scalding against my skin. I hadn't been touched since the first day the Nogtisune had chained me up. It almost felt foreign, but that's because it wasn't real.

"Lani, you need to wake up."

When I was younger, I'd loved hearing Derek's voice. He'd been my night and shining armor when I was in my pre-teens, especially after the events of my mother's death. But now it just made me want to cry, because his voice was just in my head, a ghost of a memory. Derek wasn't here, he couldn't be.

"Lani, don't make me hit you."

I scowled slightly, moving to brush the hand away. "Not real." Was all I was able to say, turning onto my side and buried my face into the softness of the pillow under my head.

My eyes snapped open suddenly, and I was looking into Derek's loft. Sitting up quickly, I came face-to-face with non-other than said knight.

"Derek?" I asked, voice barely a whisper. "Is…is this real?"

He nodded slowly, reaching up cautiously to cup my face in his large palm. I turned into the touch, breathing shaky as I closed my eyes. "Scott found you in the woods." He told me softly. "He carried you all the way here. Where have you been?"

I opened my eyes again to look at him. "The Nogitsune, he wanted me out of the way for a while. He kept me in this room, some sort of basement, maybe. It was so dark Derek." I shook my head. "Derek, has anything happened?"

"No, it's been quiet. Stiles and you have been missing for two and a half days." He said, frowning. "Did he do anything to hurt you?"

"No." I told him, shaking my head. "No, he said Stiles was fighting him, yelling at him about hurting me." I blinked and let out a shaky breath again, trying to stay calm. "Derek, the Nogitsune, he said that he'd only let me go when he said he was ready to make his move with me as a pawn. He's planning something Derek, something big. I just don't know what."

"We're doing all we can to figure out what's going to happen. But the Nogtisune is smart, we haven't found anything." Derek's words made me frown. "Lani, tell me what happened."

I looked at him, still not as calm as I'd like to be. I opened my mouth a couple times, trying to form words, but it was difficult. Taking a steadying breath, I looked down at my hands, a thumb rubbing over my wrist. "Do you know anything about androgynous souls?" I asked softly.

Before Derek could answer, the door to the loft slid open quickly. I sat up straighter, body tense until Scott came into view.

"You're awake." He let out a breath, sounding relieved.

I blinked, frowning slightly at his concern. Last time I'd seen him, he was still hesitant with me, looking at me like a dog that could turn rabid at any moment. "Yup." Was all I said, swallowing.

I saw shocked when he came to the side of the bed, next to Derek, and sat down before pulling me into a hug. His arms were wrapped around my shoulders, holding me against his chest. I blinked before I closed my eyes to prevent tears, as my arms wrapped around his torso, hugging him back.

Scott pulled away slowly, offering me a small smile.

"I thought you didn't like me much." I said softly, leaning back against the pillows on Derek's bed.

Suddenly sheepish, Scott reached up to scratch the back of his neck as he chuckled nervously. "I just wasn't sure if I could trust you. So much has been going on lately that I wasn't sure what to think of you."

I smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you." I told him, before my attention was pulled back to Derek.

"What were you saying before, about androgynous souls?" He asked.

Scott looked between the two of us, confusion on his features. "What souls?" He asked.

"Androgynous souls, souls that are equally male and female." I started, swallowing around a lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. "If I remember correctly, the Greek philosopher, Plato, wrote about them. In his writings, it was stated that the gods made up three genders: man, woman, and the Androgynous. It's believed that they were stronger than normal humans, having great strength and threatening the power of the gods. So, instead of slaughtering them, Zeus decided that by splitting them in half, not only would they weaken the Androgynous, but he'd also double the number of worshipers who would pay tribute to the gods, giving them more strength. But separated, the Androgynous were beginning to die off. They couldn't live apart from their other half. So Apollo reconstructed their bodies so they could be more stable, but the souls stayed separated. So they would seek the other out, doing everything they could to find their other half."

"Sounds a lot like soul mates." Scott said, once I hadn't spoken for a moment.

"Because that's pretty much what they are." I told him.

"What does this have to do with you?" Derek asked.

I looked at him and swallowed. "You know how I've been getting along with Stiles really well? I think once I told you that it was like there was this thread, connecting us." Derek nodded slowly, understanding slowly dawning on him as Scott looked at me, confused still. "That's because we're an Androgynous soul. Stiles is my soul mate."

Scott's eyes widened to an almost comical size, his jaw clenching in an attempt to keep it from hanging open. Derek continued to frown, his jade green eyes hardening slightly.

"There's something else though, isn't there?" The older male asked, causing me to look down at my hands again. "Lani." His voice warned, causing me to sigh.

"The Nogitsune told me something, and I know that I shouldn't believe him, but something about what he said makes sense." I said, closing my eyes. "He said that Androgynous souls are always meant to meet their other half during a lifetime, and there will only be three options of how them meeting will turn out: love, death, or kill. Androgynous souls are continuously reincarnated until they fall in love, live their life together, and allow their separated soul to join into one once again, allowing them to pass on."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked, his eyebrows knitted together in his confusion.

"It means their souls, Lani's and Stiles', has been reborn again and again, only to die in the hands of the other." Derek said slowly. When I looked up and nodded in confirmation, his jaw set. "You need to go to San Francisco. Get out of Beacon Hills, today." He told me.

I blinked and sat up straighter. "No way in hell!"

"With the Nogitsune in Stiles, you're more likely to be the one to die here Lani!" Derek barked, his voice edged with worry. "You are going where you will be safe!"

"I am not going anywhere!" I snapped at him. "Derek, I'm a grown girl, I know what I'm getting into."

"I'm not going to watch another person close to me die Lani!" Derek said, his voice almost pleading me to go. "Please, do the smart thing and go to your father. You'll be safe there."

I shook my head violently, frowning. "Don't you get it Derek?" I asked, my voice a whisper. "It's too late for me. I'm already falling in love, I'm not going to walk away from him."

Silence followed my words. It was something I'd thought about while I was alone, chained up and shivering in that dark room. If I was meant to die by Stiles' hands, the least I could do was do everything in my power to rid the Nogitsune from his being. Because I was falling for Stiles, I was falling hard and fast.

"Because of the Nogtisune, Stiles is probably feeling the worse effects from our connection. He wants to trust me, to learn to love me, but because of the dark influence currently gripping his soul, Stiles doesn't think he can." I told him, voice cold as I tried not to break down. "If I have to die, at least I can die knowing Stiles' soul has been cleansed. We can always try again in the next life time."

Derek shook his head slowly, fear, pain, and cold understanding in his eyes. "You aren't going to give up on him, are you?" He asked softly.

"Never."

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><p><strong>Sorry you guys had to wait nearly a week for this chapter, I promise you, I've been taking as much time as I currently have avaliable to me to work on this. Thursday, the day after I posted chapter 7, where I live we got hit by a bunch of snow. Even now (Tuesday) the roads are still pretty bad. Friday morning, a close family friend of mine, who I'd practically grown up with, got into a really bad car crash. She died on impact, leaving behind a loving husband and three children. The youngest of her kids turned one last November. It was a really tough weekend for those that knew her, and between mourning and work, I've barely had a moment to spare. The funeral is tomorrow, and I'm doing all I can to help prepare for it, so I ask that you understand the delay for this chapter and the next few.<strong>

**Your reviews are much appreciated, since I posted the last chapter, you guys left me with six of them! I want to give a shoutout to a few of you: Sadie22, Holly Graham, and pandafulprincess. Sadie22 actually pointed out to me that it was a bit confusing about the way Stiles seems almost cold to Lani, which I can see. So the reason for that was explained in this chapter. I actually kind of like the interactions between Lani and the Nogitsune, how they've played out so far. I think it leaves me with a few options on what is going to happen. And I'm going to admit, a little part of my cried at the whole Stiles/Malia events in 'Echo House', but in a way, it'll fit right into the plot for this fan-fiction. Anyways, the next chapter will start the same day Scott and the twins find Stiles/the Nogitsune in the school basement, just to give you an idea on where this story is at in the show plot. Basically, this chapter takes place the day before, late afternoon.  
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**I wouldn't expect the next chapter to be up until next week, probably Tuesday again, but I'll do everything I can to get it up before Thrusday for sure. My focus will be on other things for a while, so it's going to be hard to find time to work on this.  
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	9. Chapter 9

**I just want to make a quick note that I'm changing the title and description of this story tomorrow, just to let you know in advanced. You may have noticed the new title in the cover image that I've set for the story, it's 'Just Enough Time'. There's a reason why I've changed the title, but you won't find out until the final chapter. I also reworked the description because the story-line I originally had in mind for the story, outside of the Androgynous souls bit, has changed by quite a bit, due to the plot the show has taken. I forgot to mention it when I posted chapter eight, so I decided to wait just to give you guys a head's up. I've got chapters ten and eleven completely planned out and have written a guideline for them, so hopefully it'll help me get chapters posted a little quicker for you guys. I know how much you guys love getting new updates ;) Also, there's a link to the banner for this story on my profile. I decided to use Jasmine Trias (she was on American Idol) as the 'celebrity' persona for Lani.**

**When I finish this story, which will probably be with the end of the season, I want to work on another Teen Wolf fan-fiction, but I have a few ideas in mind and want you, the readers, to help me choose which one I should do. You can find a link to a strawpoll on my profile at about the bottom, just look for the words "What Teen Wolf story should I work on after I finish 'Just Enough Time'? Go vote! I'm gonna put a reminder in every chapter from here on out, so if you don't see this now, you'll see it next week.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>If Derek Hale was one thing, he was stubborn. Worse than a mule, if you asked me. My forty eight or so hours of being limited on water and food had left me malnourished and still slightly dehydrated, so now, Derek Hale and all his caring nature, demanded I not leave his bed. In any other situation, I would have made some sort of teasing comment about him keeping me in his bed for other reasons, it was too fun to tease him, but when Scott told me no one had heard or seen Stiles still, I didn't want to be restricted to one space.<p>

Which is why I was now fighting the young man that was like a brother to me, though my words were my greatest weapon since my body was still a bit stiff and weak from my time in that basement room.

"Derek, let me go, I can't just sit here!" I shouted, struggling as he had me over his shoulder, carrying me back to his bed. I was extremely tempted to kick him where it hurt, but knew him dropping me would likely only cause me to recover slower than he would. "Stiles is still out there, the Nogitsune is planning something, I'm not going to just sit around on my ass because the damn thing left me to starve!"

I let out a squeak when I was dropped unceremoniously onto the mattress, but quickly recovered and glared at him.

"You are staying right here Kaylani, or so help me, I will chain you to this bed." He growled.

"Never suspected you to be so kinky." I snapped sarcastically, sitting up and running a hand through my hair. I made no move to run again, waiting until he let his guard down. Around anyone else, Derek probably wouldn't have relaxed when he did. Hell, he wouldn't be fighting this hard to keep them in bed rest. But the moment I saw his shoulders drop slightly, his jaw no longer tense, I quickly pushed myself up and made a bee line for the door.

I heard Derek groan behind me as I sprang off the bed, my bare feet hitting the cool floor before I sprinted for the door, running like a rabid wolf was on my heels.

Okay, so he wasn't exactly rabid, but he was pretty pissed.

My fingers just grazed the handle to the door when a strong arm wrapped around my middle, pulling me back. A distraught cry left my lips as I reached down, trying to pull Derek's arm away from my body, struggling when he lifted me up off my feet.

"Derek, put me down!"

"Only when you stop behaving like a child." He snapped. He was about to say something else, but he must have heard something for he stopped, though I continued to struggle, and looked at the door.

I continued to kick and claw when the door opened, the action not registering in my mind as all I could think about was getting out of this damn loft and finding Stiles.

"Am I interrupting something?" A smooth voice drawled. It was unfamiliar to me, causing me to freeze and snap my head in the direction of the door. The man that stood just in the threshold of the loft was older than Derek by at least ten years. The piercing blue of his eyes sent shivers down my spine as they quickly roamed over my body, leaving me feeling violated by the simple look. He turned back to Derek, his expression becoming bored and slightly irritated. "You called me to babysit your little girlfriend?"

"I am not his girlfriend!" I cried, kicking Derek in the shin for good measure. He let me go, my feet hitting the floor and causing me to stumble slightly before I regained my footing and turned to me. "What the hell Derek?! You expect me not to go out there looking for Stiles so instead you're going to leave for who knows what reason, leaving me with a creepy old pervert?!"

"I find the label 'pervert' highly offensive." The stranger said, grinning in what I could only call malice as he narrowed his eyes at me. "And for the record, Derek is my nephew."

I blinked, confusion flaring before the warning bells went off. No, Derek hadn't told me much of what had gone on since he'd left me in Empire, but he had told me one, major factor when it came to Laura's death. She'd been killed by another werewolf for her alpha status. That wolf had turned out to be their uncle, Peter, who he'd though was in a vegetable state caused by the fire.

"Oh hell no!" I snapped, turning back to Derek. "You think I'm going to let you leave me with him?" I asked, pointing at Peter Hale. "He killed Laura!"

"I thought we were past that." Peter drawled, his arms crossing over his chest.

I turned to him quickly, glaring as I slowly stepped towards him, one hand raised to point at him as I did so. "For the record, Laura was my best friend. She saved my life and helped me to understand what was happening to me when I started to gain my powers as a witch." I told him sternly, stopping right in front of him. "So forgive me if I'm not so quick to accept the man that took her life is standing right before me when you should be the one buried in the dirt right now."

Peter looked bored again, frowning. "Laura's death was tragic, yes, but I highly do-"

"Oh shut the hell up." I said, interrupting him. "You're just spewing shit that you think will make me hate you just slightly less." My gaze returned to Derek, who'd been watching our exchange with mild amusement, I could see the lingering humor in his eyes, causing me to scowl at him. "You are not leaving me here with him." I said slowly.

"Yes, actually, I am." Derek stated simply. "Rest Lani, you can't help Stiles if you faint."

I growled slightly, but stormed back into the loft, knowing he had a point. "You owe me one Hale!" I shouted over my shoulder before returning to Derek's bed, climbing under the covers.

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><p>Not much time had passed since Derek had left. I should have known this was going to happen, that I'd be the young child who wanted to go with their parentguardian/brother-figure, but was stuck at the 'house' with the 'babysitter'. Speaking of the babysitter, he'd been watching me from the window as I sat in the center of Derek's bed, books around me as I sat with my legs crossed. Minutes after the younger Hale had left, I'd sprang out of the bed and searched the entire loft for any book Derek might have with information on kitsunes. He had a few, collected from when everyone had figured out what was going on around the time I'd arrived.

Wow, I'd only been in Beacon Hills for two and a half weeks and not only had I fallen insanely quick in love with a guy I'd only just met, but I'd reunited with Derek, met the man who killed my best friend, and gained a few friends along the way. Well, if the Nogitsune was right and Stiles was meant to possibly kill me, at least I'd die happier than I'd ever been in Empire.

The thought of me, or Stiles even, dying made my mouth dry and my eyes sting. I'd only just accepted the idea that I'd fallen in love with Stiles, no matter how ridiculously fast it had all happened. The idea of him being the reason for my death before we could really get to know each other was like a knife in the back. Hell, that could possibly be how I was to die.

I shook that train of thought from my head, not wanting to show Mr. Creepy-won't-stop-staring-at-me-wolf any weaknesses.

"Will you stop staring, it's a bit creepy that a thirty-some year old man won't take his eyes off a scantily dressed teenage girl." I said, looking up at Peter. He raised an eyebrow, those light blue eyes running down my form, taking in the pair of yoga pants and tank top I was dressed in, chosen by Scott. I'm never going to ask Scott to pick me out an outfit again.

"I wouldn't call that 'scantily dressed'." He stated, earning an eye roll. "Maybe if you removed the shirt."

I glared at him, scoffing when he smirked. "Pervert." I grumbled, looking back at the book I currently had open in my lap. Many of the other books were open on particular pages as well, so I could quickly check between them to cross check different facts or theories about Nogitsunes.

"You aren't going to learn much from those books that most of us don't already know." Peter said, his voice cutting through the silence. I preferred the silence.

"Yeah, well I was a little late to the game, so since I'm not allowed to leave this damn loft, I may as well play catch-up." I stated, not taking my eyes off the book as I silently prayed to whatever deity that was listening that he'd stay quiet.

Who ever heard me must hate me.

"Or you could just ask, it'd be a lot quicker than having to read the information for yourself." He stated, turning to look out the window.

"Maybe so, but the books might cover something that a person would forget to tell me because they'd think it wasn't important, even though it might be." Was my heated response.

"Or the books could be wrong."

I groaned loudly, snapping the book shut as I looked back up at him. "Do you ever shut up?" I asked, scowling. "Because despite your over-confidence and enormous ego, your voice is not as attractive as you seem to think it is. If you want to hear yourself talk, do it elsewhere."

Peter merely scoffed, turning back towards the window, his hands held behind him.

His silent remark caused my annoyance to flair again, but as I opened my lips to make another snide comment to him, the door to Derek's loft slide open. Looking to my left, I let out a sigh of relief. "Sane people, finally!"

Lydia and Allison gave me quizzical looks as Peter turned around. "The hunter and the banshee. Ladies, come in."

"You just got about a hundred times creepier Hale." I commented, getting up and slipping on the sweatshirt that Scott had grabbed me as well. The werewolf scowled at me, obviously annoyed that I'd ruined his precious mood. I smiled coyly at him.

"Kaylani, what are you doing here…with him?" Allison asked as she and Lydia walked forward, closing the door behind them.

"Derek has me on bed-rest and Mr. Creepy-ass is my babysitter." I explained. "Trust me, I am far from pleased about it."

Ignoring us as we all approached the table, Peter's eyes landed on Lydia. "They go." He said, motioning towards Allison and myself.

"The last time I was alone with you, I almost bleed out on a lacrosse field." Lydia stated, causing me to raise an eyebrow in Peter's direction. "Allison stays."

"We all stay." I added, giving Lydia a pointed look. She rolled her eyes in response, not actually looking at me.

"Do you actually think I was trying to kill you when I bit you?" Peter asked, still focused solely on Lydia. "You were my back-up plan, remember? Not to mention the bite is what out your recent abilities. You think power like that was going to come out on its own?" He tsked. "I'm the spark that lit your fire sweetheart."

"And again, creepy as hell." I snipped, glaring at Peter. He glared at me again.

"You attacked her and nearly killed her." Allison said.

"Power doesn't come without a little pain, high-strung." Peter said. "I'm sure Kaylani could tell you all about that."

I froze as Lydia and Allison both looked at me, but my eyes stayed on Peter as he smirked at me.

"Yes, Derek told me about your mother." He said.

"That was an accident." I hissed.

"You killed her." Peter stated simply, a slight gasp leaving Lydia's lips at his statement.

"It wasn't my fault." I told them all. "I lost control, I wasn't ready for that kind of power yet. And if you don't shut up, I might just lose control again. Want to be burned a third time Pete?" I all but growled at him.

He merely grinned, looking back at Lydia. I turned away from them, closing my eyes. I could not afford to lose control so often, I could feel the flames licking my fingertips.

"I didn't ask for power." Lydia stated, focusing back on why she was here.

"But you're embracing it now, aren't you?" Peter asked. I turned back to see Lydia looking down, silently answering Peter's question.

"How about the fact that you brain-washed her and used her to bring yourself back to life?" Allison asked, and I silently thanked whatever deity was listening that they had both decided not to ask me about my mother. Of course, this wasn't exactly the right time to ask someone why or how they'd killed their own mom.

"So that I could be here today, to help you master your abilities." Peter said. "Isn't it amazing how things come full circle?"

"Yeah, because you totally have done everything in your life just for Lydia's benefit." I grumbled.

Allison nodded in agreement, turning to Lydia. "He's insane, we're leaving."

The two turned their backs to us, Allison taking Lydia's hand as she guided her towards the exit of the loft.

"Take me with you!" I called, following them.

"You want the truth Lydia?" Peter asked when we were half-way to the door. I turned my head to see Lydia pause, Allison stopping to look at her. "It's not the scream that gives you power, all the scream does is drown out the noise, allowing you to hear what you really need to and I can help you focus your hearing."

Lydia turned towards him sharply as I sighed.

"But you want something in return." Allison and I said together, looking at him as well.

"No, I'm dedicating my life to helping out narcissistic teenage girls." Peter said sarcastically, reaching to his left and grabbing a cylinder container. "Of course I want something in return." He opening the container, emptying its contents on the table.

"Claws?" I asked, looking at them with a small frown on my face.

"Talia's claws." He stated, frowning back at me.

"Seriously?" I asked, eyes widening as I looked up at him.

Allison stepped towards the table, taking one of the claws in hand. "These are the claws of Derek's mother?" She asked.

"My sister, Talia." Peter stated. "Before she died, she stole a memory from me, something only a very powerful alpha can do. That memory is locked inside those claws."

"Why would a sister want to steal a memory from you?" I asked, tone accusing.

"Well if I remembered the memory, I might be able to tell you." He told me, causing me to roll my eyes at his tone.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Lydia asked, setting her hands on the edge of the table as she looked down at the claws.

"Listen." Was all Peter said, taking one of the claws and holding it up. "Listen and focus."

* * *

><p>Watching Peter basically berate Lydia was tiring. After about ten minutes of watching him tell her again and again to focus, I finally went back to the books strewn across Derek's bed, my back turned to the rest of them.<p>

"Focus!" I heard Peter tell her once again, this time Lydia finally snapping.

"I am focusing!"

"You're not." He snapped. "I can see the wheels spinning behind your eyes. Your hearing is attuned to a level no one else in the universe can hear, but only if you're listening!"

"I am trying." I could hear the high level annoyance in Lydia's voice. This was going to end badly, most likely for Peter. Werewolf or not, he was outnumbered three to one.

"Try harder!" Peter growled. I could hear him get to his feet as he spoke, before the sizzle of electricity stopped him in his tracks. Looking over my shoulder quickly, I grinned at the sight of an electrical prod or stick of some-sorts in Allison's hand, mere inches from Peter's skin.

He was looking down the stick towards her, his claws out. "Your aunt had one of those." He stated as I got off the bed again. "Auntie Kate."

"Stop it." Lydia told them. "Both of you."

"Didn't do her much good as I ripped her throat out, did it?" Peter growled, ignoring Lydia's warning.

"She didn't shove it up you're a-"

Allison's words were cut off by Lydia's cry, "Stop it!" But her voice was different, the pitch higher than I'd heard, but not in a way that would make my ears bleed. There was a power to the pitch, and I watched with wide eyes as Talia Hale's claws flew through the air, flying between the huntress and werewolf, only to embed themselves into one of the wooden beams that connected floor to ceiling, supporting the weight.

I slowly walked forwards, stopping at Lydia's side as she stared at the claws. She started to move towards them, her head tilted slightly.

"Lydia?" Peter asked, speaking in almost a whisper. "Lydia, do you hear something?"

I looked at him, surprised a bit by his desperation for Lydia to hear something, anything, from the memory Talia had taken from him.

"What is it?" He asked as she walked past him. "What are they saying? Is it the memory?"

I stepped towards him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling on it slightly. His head whipped to me as I met his eye and I shook my head slightly, telling him to silently shut up. Peter narrowed his eyes before looking back at Lydia.

"What did Talia take from me?" He asked desperately. "Tell me what she knew!"

Lydia turned towards the rest of us slowly, my hand still gripping Peter's sleeve as I took in her shell shocked expression.

"You're not just an uncle." She said finally, my eyes widening as I looked up at Peter, shock and something like despair coming to his face.

"Excuse me?" He asked after a few moments, his face steeling into a mask. "I have a child?"

"Seems so." Lydia stated, starting to recover from her shock.

"What else did you hear?" He asked, growling slightly. "Who's my child?"

"I don't know." Lydia said, taking a step towards the door.

Peter's growl grows in volume, taking a step towards her in return.

"Whoa there Pete, calm down. Threatening the girl isn't going to get anything from here." I said, putting a hand on his chest before he could start towards her. He growled at me, causing me to frown. "Don't even, I could kick your sorry wolf ass. Probably not fairly, but you and I both know I have more than a few tricks up my sleeves. I'm a witch remember." I warn him, but the growl continues to sound.

Before I could even react, he's pushing me away with more force than necessary. I fall to the ground, grunting when I came in contact with the floor and rolling a few time, finally stopping on my back as I try to regain my breath.

Peter's taken his opening, advancing on Lydia. "Tell me what you heard."

"I told you, I don't know." Lydia told him as she backed up, Peter matching each of her steps with one of his own. "I don't know its name, if it's a boy or a girl, or if it's some mutated wolf baby."

"You're lying." Peter said, starting to close the distance between them. "Tell me what you know."

"Pete." I say, my tone warning as I pull myself back up to my feet, but my warning goes ignored.

"Tell me." Peter growls suddenly before reaching out and grabbing Lydia by her elbows. "Tell me-ugh!"

I watch as he falls to the ground, twitching slightly after Allison's electro-stick (yes, I've called it an electro-stick) sends who knows how many watts of electricity coursing through his body. Scrambling to my feet, I cross the distance between me and the door as Allison takes Lydia's hand again.

"Now we're really leaving." Allison says, nodding to me as I joined them. I stopped at the door, looking back at Peter where he lay on the floor. He'd turned on his side, facing the exit. Rage, desperation, and shock at finding out that he was a father when the child was at least seven years old flitted over his features before the rage settled.

"Lydia!" He shouted, his voice echoing as I closed the door behind me.

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><p>"None of them are picking up!" I grumble, typing in Scott's number again. I was currently seated in the back seat of Allison's car as the two were looking for pictures to compare Peter to the girl that was, according the Peter's memory in Talia's claws, a girl by the name of Malia Tate.<p>

"Keep trying." Lydia said as I brought my phone back up to my ear, listening to the ringing impatiently.

"I've got mine." Allison said moments later after I'd cursed at hearing Scott's voice mail again. "Did you find yours Lydia?"

I paused half way through calling Scott again, leaning forward between the two seats to look at the picture of Peter on Allison's phone before glancing at Lydia.

"Yeah." She says softly. She zooms in on a picture of a girl before they bring their phones close together. Looking between the two images, I frowned.

"Peter and Malia?" Allison said, sounding more confused than I felt.

"Father and daughter." Lydia confirmed.

"Are you two going to tell me who this Malia is now?" I ask, but before anyone can say anything, my phone starts to go off in my hands. Glancing at the screen quick, I let out a relieved sigh and answer it. "Scott, finally, where the hell have you been and why haven't you been answering your damn phone?!"

"Kaylani, calm down. The Nogitsune set a bomb off in the police department."

"What?!" I nearly screech, eyes wide. "Is everyone okay?"

"Kaylani!" Allison says, looking at me worriedly.

"Oh right, hold on." I say, pulling my phone away from my ear and turning it onto speaker. "Okay Scott, say that again."

"There was a bomb that went off at the police department, the Nogitsune sent it there disguised as a package. Allison, your dad was there with Derek, but he's okay." Scott told us.

"What about Derek?" I asked, eyes wide.

"He's fine. Well he'll heal, just some glass shards in the back. There were closest to where the bomb went off." Scott said. "But listen, we have more important things to worry about right now."

"Like what?!" I asked.

"The Oni are coming after Stiles." He said, and my heart stopped for a moment. "We're headed to the animal clinic. It's lined with mountain ash, they won't be able to get in."

"Scott, your house was lined with mountain ash and they made their way in." Allison pointed out.

"I know, but it's the best we have. Kira, Stiles, and I are headed there now, do you guys want to meet us there?" He asks.

"Of course." I say instantly, looking up at Lydia and Allison. "That's okay, right?"

"Yeah." Allison nodded, starting her car. "Scott, we're on our way, but it's going to take us about half an hour. I don't want to take a risk driving too fast in this rain, we can't heal like you can."

"Alright, we'll see you there." He said before the line went dead.

"Hey Allison." I said softly when we'd pulled onto the road.

"Yeah?" She asked, glancing at me in the rear view mirror.

"Drive as fast as you can without risking our lives." I said, voice trembling. "Please."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10, yay! It's a shorter chapter, I know, but I wanted to get it out to you guys before I had to go to bed. So real quick, in case you aren't reading my other TW story, Waiting for Batman, I plan on uploading Just Enough Time chapters on Tuesdays, then Waiting for Batman will be uploaded on Saturday. If you haven't already seen my other story, go check it out! I explained in that one that I wanted to wait till the end of the season to figure out what I wanted to do with this series before I went any farther. Well the season finale has been aired, I've seen it, and I know how this story is going to end. Sadly, I also know how many chapters there are going to be, and after this one here, there are only four more to go. Possibly five, if chapter 14 gets waaaay too long. But most likely, there will be just 14. So, while you wonder how this story will end, go read the new chapter, then go check out Waiting for Batman if you haven't read it already! Oh, and leave a review if you're excited for the return of JET!**

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><p>As soon as Allison's car had neared a stop in the parking lot just outside of the animal clinic, I was out the door and sprinting inside. I'd leaped over the half wall that separated the sitting area from the back of the clinic, skidding to a halt as I entered the main operating room. Scott was sitting on the operating table, a katana protruding from his abdomen, but when my eyes landed on the collapsed Stiles, my heart had nearly stopped.<p>

"Stiles!" I cried, rushing to him. A hand on my arm stopped me, causing me to turn to look at the man who'd taken a hold of my arm.

Scott and Stiles had mentioned Dr. Deaton, a druid who'd helped them since Scott had been bitten, but I'd never yet met the man himself. I looked at him now and frowned, ready to snap at him for holding me back.

"I've merely poisoned the fox, Stiles is fine." His words instantly calmed me and I nodded slowly. "But right now Scott needs our help."

My eyes moved to Scott, who was breathing heavily as he watched us with a hint of worry in his eyes. I swallowed and nodded, moving to Scott's side as soon as Deaton had let go of my arm. Deaton moved to stand in front of Scott, carefully gripping the katana with one hand, the other on Scott's shoulder.

"Ready?" Deaton asked as I placed my hand on Scott's back, fingers just a hair's breath away from the blade of the katana protruding through his lower back. Scott nodded once, jaw set as he readied himself for the pain.

Scott cried out in pain when Deaton swiftly removed the black blade from his abdomen. As soon as the katana had been fully removed, I started chanting healing spells under my breath. Stab wounds to the abdomen, even on werewolves, were never a good thing. The spells I cast on Scott's bleeding wound would help him to heal faster, especially when it came to his internal organs.

Scott cried out again as I head a door close in the distance, my spells coming to a stop. I knew the young alpha felt pain as his wound healed faster than it normally would, even with his speedy recovery skills. "Just hold on for a few more moments Scott, it's almost done." Deaton said, holding onto the boy's shoulders to keep him up. The katana was laying on the table next to Scott.

I pulled my hand away, taking a step back. Scott's blood was on my hands as I turned back to where Stiles lay, catching sight of Lydia and Allison coming into the back room out of the corner of my eye. I knelt down, turning Stiles onto his back. The blood on my hands stained his shirt, but I doubted he'd really care.

I must have been watching him for longer than I'd thought, for soon Allison was kneeling next to me, offering me a damp towel. "Clean up," was her soft demand. I offered a small smile as I took it from her, wiping the red blood from my fingers and palms. Once my hands were clean, I handed Allison back the towel before turning to Stiles again. As she stood, I reached over to run my fingers through his hair gently.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I whispered softly, knowing only Scott would be able to hear my quiet words.

"Hey."

I looked up to see the werewolf kneeling next to me. He smiled grimly, and I quickly assumed he was now fully healed. "Hey." I said softly.

"Deaton's cleaning off the operating table. Think you can help me get Stiles onto it once he's done?" Scott asked, glancing at his unconscious friend.

"Course." I answered, my eyes going to Stiles as well. "Scott…"

"Hmm?" He turned to look at me again, and after a moment, I met his gaze.

"He's going to be okay, right?"

Scott looked at me for a long, silent moment before he ducked his head, letting out a sigh. "I don't know."

I nodded, looking down.

"We'll think of something."

* * *

><p>After an hour, Stiles still hadn't woken. Deaton said it would be alright, that Stiles was just waking up again, and it might take some time for him to be able to be fully conscious, since the Nogitsune had suppressed him for a few days. If the Nogitsune had been in power over Stiles for more than a week or two, it could take Stiles days.<p>

So I waited, never leaving his side.

Allison and Lydia left after they found out everyone was alright, I silently swore to them that I wouldn't breath a word about Peter being a father until they thought it was time. Scott was hesitant to leave as well, but after some time, he agreed to bring Kira home, since Deaton and I were both staying to watch over Stiles.

Deaton had left the room to deal with some things, but only after I promised to call for him if Stiles woke. He wanted to be certain the Letharia Vulpina worked on the Nogitsune, allowing the real Stiles to shine through. I was looking down at Stiles' sleeping face, running my fingers through his hair gently.

"Wake up Stiles." I whispered, ignoring my phone as it vibrated once in my pocket. It was likely just Derek, and if I didn't respond, he'd probably call Scott to see how things were going.

It took Stiles another half hour to open his eyes, gasping slightly as he shot up. I had just started to doze off, physically and emotionally drained, but the sound of him waking snapped me back into full consciousness. When I saw him sitting up, I launched myself at him, hugging him tight.

"Ah, Lani, can't breathe." He groaned, forcing me to release him. I pulled back, cupping his cheek in one hand as I stared into his eyes, those bright, amber eyes.

"It's you right?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He nodded slowly, pulling me into a hug, which I returned eagerly, though was careful not to crush him again.

Reluctantly, I pulled away again, calling for Deaton. The older man walked into the operation room where Stiles and I were, his eyes trained on Stiles. The druid made quick work of assuring that Stiles was truly himself again, finally giving us a moment to ourselves about twenty minutes later.

I sat on the table next to Stiles, my hands folded in my lap. Out elbows were barely touching as we sat in silence for a few moments now that we were alone.

"How much do you remember of the past few days?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.

He swallowed nervously, looking at me. "Are you okay?" He asked, frowning. "I mean, you were chained up in that basement for…days."

"A little malnourished, but I'm going to be okay." I said, taking his hands in mine when he winced. "That wasn't you Stiles, that was the Nogitsune. I'm okay. I'm here and I'm alive, you don't have to feel guilty."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Coach got shot with an arrow." He pointed out. "You know, I've always wondered why I couldn't be special, like you or Scott or Kira or even Allison. Now, I don't want it so much."

"Oh Stiles, you are special." I told him, reaching up to cup his cheek in one hand. "You're more special than you know."

He scoffed, looking down. "Yeah, I'm a monster."

"No, you're Stiles Stilinski." I told him, tilting his head up to force him to meet my steady gaze. "You're you, the you I love."

Stiles blushed at my words. "Love? You barely know me."

I smiled sadly, shaking my head. "Stiles, when we first met, did you feel a tug, like a string was wrapped around something inside you, pulling you towards me?" I asked.

He blinked, nodding slightly.

"I felt the same way, and I've been falling in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you." I told him, hesitating now. "What do you know about androgynous souls?"

"About what?" He asked, confusion clear on his features.

I chuckled softly. "Androgynous souls." I repeated, smiling softly. "It's the original term for soul mates." His eyes widened at that, and before he could speak, I told him what the Nogitsune had told me, what I'd learned about what Stiles and I meant to one another. "So you see, I don't barely know you. Somewhere, deep in our souls, we've known each other since the very beginning." I told him.

Stiles gulped nervously, pulling back slightly as he watched me with worried eyes. "You need to go to San Francisco." He said suddenly, causing my eyes to widen.

"Excuse me?"

"Go back to your dad Lani, you'll be safe there." He said, taking my hands in his. "I don't know what the Nogitsune has planned, but if it means you end up dead because of me, than you need to leave, get as far from me as you possibly can and don't come back until Derek or I call you and say things have settled down again."

I shook my head, pulling my hands from his grip. "I'm not leaving Stiles, nothing you say or do will make me leave you when things are this dangerous."

"The fact that things are so dangerous is why you should leave!" He told me, looking at me desperately. Stiles was practically begging me now, but we both knew I wasn't going to listen.

I reached up, cupping his face in both my hands. "Stiles, I have fallen so fast and so hard, you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming and lock me in a padded cell to keep me away from you at this point." I told him, my gaze boring into his. "It scares the hell out of me, it does, but I'm not going to fool myself. I'm staying, and that's final."

He sighed and nodded, leaning in to kiss me. I kissed back, my fingers sliding into his hair, gripping it lightly. We continued to kiss, one of his arms wrapping around me to pull me closer to him. When we finally pulled apart, I was panting slightly.

"I'm not going anywhere Stiles." I told him firmly before pulling him into another kiss.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I was just about to pull on a long sleeved shirt when my phone rang. Setting the shirt on the bed, I went over and answered my phone, smiling when I saw Stiles' name on the screen.<p>

"Hey handsome." I said in greeting, knowing my words would likely cause him to blush.

"Morning to you too." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Listen, I just wanted to let you know something, okay? You just have to promise not to tell Scott."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling uneasy suddenly. "Stiles, what's going on?"

"I'm admitting myself to Eichen House, the mental hospital. My dad and I are on our way there now."

I froze, eyes wide in shock.

"Lani?"

"Why?" I asked, snapping out of my shock.

"Because once the poison wears off, and we all know it will sooner rather than later, I'm putting you in danger, all of you." He told me.

I was shaking my head slowly. "No, no, Stiles, don't do this. We can figure something out, together."

"I thought about this Lani, a lot. It's the only way I can give you guys more time."

"We can't help you if you're in there Stiles!" I pointed out to him. "They won't let you see anyone for the first few days you're there, you know that, right? Not me, or Scott, or even your dad! How are we going to know you're still you by the time you can finally contact us again?"

"Lani, he chained you up and barely fed you for a few days, I'm not letting the Nogitsune get to you like that again!" He snapped, causing me to stop in my pacing. When had I even started to pace?

"Stiles, please, don't do this. I can defend myself. The Nogitsune just caught me off guard last time, I'll be ready next time." I told him, feeling tears in my eyes. "Please, don't do this."

"I'm sorry, I have to do it." Stiles said, sounding completely defeated. "And please, please just don't tell Scott, not until I'm fully admitted."

"Stiles!" I called into my phone, but he'd already hung up. I let out a cry of frustration, tossing my phone onto my bed.

I jumped slightly at the sudden knocking on the door to my apartment. I shook my head, frowning, and took a step to go and answer it before I remembered that I was still just in my bra and jeans. I grabbed my shirt from my bed, pulling it on as the person waiting for me knocked again, louder this time.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, geez." I said, opening the door. I gasped slightly when I saw Derek and Scott, my eyes landing on the other teen as I remembered Stiles words.

_Don't tell Scott_.

The werewolves gave me curious glances, Derek frowning deeply. "Lani, what is it?"

I frowned, not breaking eye contact with Scott. "He asked me not to tell you, but Scott, he can't do this. We can't help him if he does."

Worry crossed Scott's features as he seemed to understand who I was talking about. "What's wrong with Stiles Kaylani?" He asked, moving around Derek to put his hands on my shoulders, eyes trained on my own. "Where's Stiles?"

I swallowed. "If I tell you, you take me with you, got it?" I asked. He nodded instantly, understanding my need to go with him. "Eichen House." I told him. "He's admitting himself to Eichen House."


	11. Chapter 11

I held on tight to Scott as he raced through Beacon Hills from my apartment towards Eichen House, and towards Stiles. I just prayed that we'd get there in time. It was misting slightly, the slight rain falling and causing my vision through the visor of the helmet I wore to become blurry. Just was we pulled up, Scott parking his motor bike with a slight screech next to the sheriff's car, we saw Stiles and his father standing in front of the gate.

I hopped off before Scott had even killed the engine to his bike, pulling the helmet off my head as I went right to Stiles. I hugged him, wrapping my arms around his torso and burying my face in his shoulder. "Sorry." I mumbled. "I know you didn't want me to tell him, but he and Derek showed up at my apartment right after you hung up. They could tell I was distressed, I couldn't hide it." I told him as he hugged back.

"It's okay." He said, and I glanced up at him as I pulled away, meeting his gaze. Stiles attempted to smile, but there was no good emotion put into it, and the smile didn't reach his eyes. He turned his head as Scott walked up to us.

"Why didn't you want to tell me?" Scott asked, frowning at his friend. "Why _didn't_ you tell me?"

"Because we wanted to avoid something like this." The sheriff said, catching my attention. He nodded at me when I looked at him, I nodded back.

I moved so that I could see everyone, not just Stiles, without turning my head. He kept an arm wrapped around me, knowing that I needed the contact. I leaned into him slightly, earning a slight squeeze to reassure me. It didn't help very much.

"It's only seventy two hours." Stiles added, glancing down at me before looking at Scott again.

"This is the same place Barrow came from," Scott started, looking between the sheriff and his best friend, "the guy who had a tumor inside him filled with flies." His gaze settled on Mr. Stilinski. "You don't know everything yet."

"I know enough." The sheriff said. "Nogitsunes, kitsunes, oni, androgynous souls, or whatever they're called." I glanced at Stiles and he nodded, confirming my silent question about him telling his dad everything. I nodded in return, understanding.

"No, that's actually all surprisingly correct." Stiles told his dad, looking at him.

"Scott, Kaylani, I saw an MRI that looked exactly like my wife's." The sheriff started again. "And it terrifies me. I'm headed down to LA tomorrow to talk to a specialist."

I leaned closer to Stiles, my gaze dropping to the floor. With all this excitement about the Nogitsune, the fact that Stiles' brain was starting to deteriorate had been on the back of my mind, something I didn't always think about, but there, a little reminder that he might be the one of us to die, before we were really ready.

"Then why are you putting him in here?" Scott was asking.

"He's not." Stiles and I said together, glancing at one another. Stiles sighed, looking at Scott again. "It's my decision."

"Stiles, I can't help you if you're in here." Scott said, voicing our same fears.

"Neither of us can." I added, looking pointedly at Scott before turning to Stiles. "They aren't going to let you contact anyone outside of that house during those first seventy two hours. That's three days that I can't check up on you, to be sure you're okay." I blinked rapidly, keeping the tears back. "How am I supposed to cope?"

"If I'm in there, I can't hurt you." He said sternly, cupping my face in one hand. "Any of you. I have to do this you guys."

"Deaton has some ideas." Scott started, sounding as desperate as I felt. "Argent's calling people. We're going to find something, and if we can't…."

Scott trailed off as Stiles turned his head to look at him. "If you can't," Stiles said, turning his gaze back to me. I felt my heart clench, knowing what he was about to say. Before he could even continue, I was shaking my head slowly. He pulled away and turned fully to Scott, stepping closer to him. "If you can't, then you have to do something for me, okay? Make sure I never get out."

He stepped back, next to my side. Scott was staring at him in disbelief and worry.

I turned away from Scott in time to see the sheriff motion towards the tall gate with his head. My heart tightened and before Stiles could turn and walk away from me, I grabbed his arm. He paused, looking at me for a moment before his eyes filled with silent understanding. He pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping around my torso as I wrapped my own around his neck and shoulders.

"Be safe." I whispered as we pulled apart, giving him a final, desperate kiss.

When he stepped away, he was frowning. "You be safe." He said softly, glancing at Scott one last time before following his father up to Eichen House.

Scott and I stayed there, watching until father and son disappeared into the building. My arms were wrapped around myself, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

* * *

><p>"Thanks Sheriff." I smiled thinly before Stiles' father left the room, leaving me and a cuffed Derek. He nodded once before closing the door behind him. Turning to Derek, I grinned slightly. "How am I not surprised?" I asked him as he moved to sit in the only open chair in the room, across the table from the chair I occupied.<p>

"I didn't do anything." He hissed, putting his hands on the table.

"So you say." I shrugged, fiddling with my sleeve. It was the morning after Stiles had gone into Eichen House, and I was already feeling the distance, the pain of being away from him. "Enjoying your time behind bars?" I asked him, grinning. He merely glared at me, causing my grin to widen.

"You're enjoying this too much." Derek said softly.

"Maybe a little." I said. "So, what have you learned?" I asked, looking at him.

"Argent told me a story about the Berserkers." He said, then grinned when I looked at him, confused. I rolled my eyes, quickly motioning for him to continue. "They're moving Katashi's things." He added. "No one without FBI clearance will be able to get to them after that."

"And we can't get to them now, so we'll have to get to the finger while it's in transport." I said, thinking quickly. "When are they moving the evidence?"

"Tonight."

I nodded, pulling my phone from my pocket and quickly texting Scott. "We'll have to act pretty quick then." I said. "Any idea when you're going to get out of here?"

Derek sighed. "Nope."

"Aw, is the big bad wolf upset with his cage? I should tell Peter to visit. I'm sure that'll cheer you up." I smirked when he winced.

"He won't make it past the front desk. He's supposed to be dead." Derek pointed out.

"Good, then he wouldn't bother us anymore."

"You really don't like him, do you?"

I raised an eyebrow at Derek, leaning forward slightly. "Derek, he killed Laura. I don't care why, he still did it. I don't know him, I don't like him, I don't trust him. Hell, I wouldn't touch the bastard with anything shorter than a fifty yard stick. He should still be rotting in the ground under you old house for all I care." I told him, my eyes never leaving his. He merely nodded, understanding that there was only ever going to be one reason why I'd never like Peter, and that was Laura.

My phone vibrated in my hands and I quickly unlocked it to look at the text Scott had sent me. "We're going to meet at the Argent's penthouse to plan." I said, starting to stand after texting Scott for the address. "I'll talk to you later, no getting angry with any of the cops, there are good men here."

Derek rolled his eyes but nodded at me as I went on knocked on the door. I had been expecting Sheriff Stilinski or possibly one of the Deputies to be waiting for Derek and I to be done, so I froze the moment that Scott's father opened the door.

"Ah, Agent McCall." I said, blinking owlishly and wondering if he'd been able to hear what Derek and I had been talking about. I quickly snapped out of my surprise to smile brightly at the man. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

"Nor did I expect you to be involved with Derek Hale." He said, glancing past me to Derek, who was glaring at him slightly.

"Yes, he's kind of like an adoptive brother. He and his sister, Laura, partly raised me when I was younger and having issues with my dad after my mother's death." I informed him. "In my heart, he's really the only family I have left." I turned my head over my shoulder and smiled at Derek. "Though I'm not really surprised he'd keep ending up in this situation." Derek rolled his eyes at me, standing slowly. I turned back to the older man in front of me and smiled cheerily. "But do remember, Agent McCall, the last time Derek was arrested, he was innocent. I can tell you now, probably save you the trouble, that Derek is innocent again. Sure he looks, history, and even acts the part of your Hollywood generic killer, but he's really just a softy at heart."

"Lani."

I ignored Derek's warning growl at my rambling, my face turning more serious than it had been moments ago. "I'd also like to let you know that you being the reason he's locked up right now is not sitting really well with me right now. It's bad enough I have issues with pathetic fathers, my own father had an unintentional hand in my mother's death, but I won't get into details about that, he's just a cheating bastard. I won't ask what's going on with you and Scott or why you left, that's your own personal business. And really, I can't wait until the day that you learn that not everything is as clear as you seem to think, but that's not really my call."

"Lani!"

"What?!" I snapped, turning back to Derek. He shot me a look that very clearly told me to stop talking, causing me to roll my eyes. "Alright, I have to go to Allison's anyways. Call me when they let you out, I'll pick you up." I told him before turning to Agent McCall, who was watching me with eyes full of confusion and surprise at my rant. "I'll tell Scott you said hi. Good day Agent McCall." I said, then turned down the hall and started to walk away.

"Miss Māhealani."

I stopped, turning to look at Agent McCall with a small frown on my lips. "I said good day, Agent." I said before turning back around and walking out of the station.

Scott's father shook his head, frowning as he watched me disappear from his line of sight. He turned his head, looking at Derek and raised an eyebrow.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Laura let her watch a lot of 'That 70's Show' when she was a kid." Was all he said before the older man led him back to his cell next to that of Mr. Argent's.

* * *

><p>"Lani?"<p>

I looked up, meeting Scott's curious gaze. "Yeah?"

"What's with the clawed rings?" He asked, pointing to my hands.

I looked down at them and smirked before looking at him again. "I can't hold your hand in a fight and stay wolfed out Scott." I told him, holding up one of my hands to show off the finger armor with sharp, pure silver claws attached to the rings. There was a set of four on both hands, acting almost like miniature Wolverine claws when I closed my hand in a fist. "These are my defense. You should see them when they're on fire, it's pretty wicked."

"Wouldn't the fire melt the silver?" Kira asked. Currently, the three of us were waiting for the last of the group to arrive at our meeting place before we set off on our little mission to get the scroll that may or may not be in the silver prosthetic finger of a dead man.

"You would think so, but I got them blessed by a cleric witch so that they'd never melt or deteriorate. These things will still be around in five hundred years, just you wait and see." I said with a grin.

We had half an hour before they loaded up the armored car and moved out to transport the evidence to a location we'd never be able to get to it. Ethan and Aiden were already in position, we just had to wait for Allison with the tracker. It was a bad plan, I didn't like it, but it was the only thing we had.

Scott opened his mouth to say something, but stopped suddenly and turned his head just before Allison appeared and joined our little group. "Got it?" He asked. She nodded, handing him the tracker for the truck.

"Now to wait for them to start packing the truck up." I said, smiling at Allison.

* * *

><p>We were crouched between two police cruisers, Allison watching them load up the truck through the scope on her crossbow. Finally, she lowered it, turning her head to Kira, who was crouched next to me. "You're up." She said.<p>

Kira nodded, getting to her feet and running towards the truck, tracker in her hand. The other three of us watched as she made it to the truck and attached the tracker to the underside the bumper. I grinned, but it faltered when the door leading into the station. Kira quickly hid behind the other side of the truck, out of view of Deputy Parrish, who'd just walked out of the building and was going up to the front.

I glanced at Scott nervously, but he shook his head, looking more worried than I felt.

My eyes snapped back towards Parrish and the truck when the deputy was stepping away from the truck, drawing his pistol. I tense, sensing something wrong. Parrish is scanning the parking lot, his gaze starting to make its way towards us.

But suddenly, as he reaches the back of the truck, his back to it, the doors fly open and a dark skinned man jumps out, knocking Parrish unconscious.

"Who the hell is that?" Scott asked, voicing the same question I was just thinking.

"Kincaid." Allison answers, frowning. I blink, remembering the name. Oh great, another werewolf.

We stood, my eyes on Kincaid as he pulled something from the truck. Just as Scott, Allison, and I reached him, he was holding up a small, silver finger. My hands curled into fists, my eyes trained on the small object that may hold the answer to saving Stiles.

I stood next to Scott as he spoke. "We need that finger." He said, causing Kincaid to turn towards us. Allison was on Scott's other side, her crossbow trained on the dark werewolf.

Kincaid looked over each of us and grinned, shaking his head slightly. "Why should I give it to you?" He asked, turning towards us.

"There's a briefcase in there with a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in it." Allison told him, and I raised my eyebrow. They didn't mention that earlier.

"The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth three million." Kincaid told us, tucking the finger into a pocket of his jacket.

"Give me the finger." Scott demanded. I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. He blinked and shook his head slightly. "You know what I mean."

Movement above Kincaid caused me to look up, watching as Kira jumped onto the werewolf's back from the top of the armored truck. I grinned, but he quickly flipped her off of him and to the ground, his eyes turning a bright blue.

"I guess negotiations are over." Kincaid said, letting out a werewolf roar.

Allison let loose an arrow, the bolt plunging into the man's chest. He glanced at it before taking it out, tossing it to the ground. Kira was on her feet and went at Kincaid again, but he easily pushed her back just in time to dodge a swipe from my silver claws, then knock Allison into a brick wall.

I pivoted on the heel of my foot, swiping my closed fist at him again and catching his side. Kincaid let loose another roar, pushing Scott off of his feet before turning to me. He kicked me to the side, too quick for me to react. I groaned as I hit the wall, really wishing I'd made skin contact so the pain in the back of my head would heal from borrowed abilities.

Scott was going at Kincaid again, recovering quicker than the rest of us, but even as a beta, Kincaid was easily pushing the true alpha down. I winced in sympathy as Kincaid kicked Scott harshly in the side, causing the teen to roll onto his back.

I was struggling to get to my feet, the edges of my vision going blurry as Kincaid knelt down next to Scott. "You have the eyes of an alpha, but where's the strength?" He asked.

"Up here."

I looked up, sighing in relief at the sight of Ethan and Aiden. Clearly they had sensed Scott getting his butt handed to him, even if he didn't completely consider them to be part of his pack.

The twins leapt down from the fire-escape moving Kincaid away from Scott as I got to my feet. The two worked together, quickly over-powering the blue eyed wolf as I watched. Finally, they got Kincaid down to the ground, but Scott was pushing himself up, telling them to stop.

"Stop!" Lydia and I called out at the same time, stepping between the wolves and Kincaid. I glanced at her, meeting her gaze for a moment before her eyes flickered back to the twins.

"You want him to come after us?" Aiden asked, pointing to Kincaid as the older werewolf got to his knees.

"Scott, we've seen guys like this. Trust us, he's dangerous." Ethan added as Scott stood.

"So are we." I told him, earning an approving nod from Scott. I turned to Kincaid as the alpha came to stand by my side.

"And he looks smart enough to remember that." Scott added, stepping forward to take the prosthetic from Kincaid's pocket.

As Scott removed the scroll, I moved forward, kneeling down in front of Kincaid. He watched me warily, and I smiled at him softly. "Do you regret it?" I asked softly, meeting his gaze firmly.

"Regret what?" He asked, and I could feel everyone's eyes on us.

"Taking an innocent life." I stated simply, not even flinching when he growled, his hand snapping forward and wrapping around my neck, his claws biting into my skin slightly, but not going deep enough to draw blood.

I heard the others start towards me, ready to pull Kincaid away, but I shouted out "don't!" I glanced at the twins on my right, then Kira and Allison on my left. "He won't hurt me."

"Are you so sure about that?" Kincaid growled, voice low and deep.

My eyes met his again and I smiled. "I am." I told him. "You said that scroll is worth three million dollars. Well I'm sorry, but to me, it's priceless. You can have it after we're done with it, I don't really care and I'm sure Scott is okay with that. In the end, it's a win-win situation. We get answers, you get your money. And, hey, letting us use the information on that scroll may just make up for the life you took, because it's going to help save the life of someone very important."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. You see, the person we need to save is my better half, literally. Two bodies, one soul, the whole sha-bang." I smiled softly. "And you'd probably save more than his life, by giving us that scroll. That would more than make up for the mistakes of your past."

"Your better half." Kincaid hummed, slowly releasing my throat. I reached up, touching a small spot of blood that had appeared where the claw of his thumb had pierced my skin deep enough to draw blood. I didn't break eye contact as I drew away from Kincaid, returning to my feet and Scott's side.

"We're here to save a life Kincaid," the alpha told him, wrapping his hand around the small scroll, "not end one." With that, he dropped the finger on the ground in front of the lone wolf and turned to walk away.

Kincaid glanced down at the finger before looking back up to me. I smiled thinly before turning and following Scott.

* * *

><p>"There isn't much here." Deaton said, glancing up from the scroll at Scott before he turned to me as I leaned against the counter. I'd practically begged Scott to take me with him to Deaton so that the druid could translate the scroll. "Unfortunately."<p>

"Can you just tell us what is there then?" I asked, frowning slightly, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Does it say anything that can help us?" Scott asked after glancing at me.

"My Japanese isn't great." Deaton informed us. "But it appears to say that one method of expelling the Nogitsune is the change the body of the host."

"Change the body?" Scott whispered, his forehead creasing slightly in concentration.

"Which begs the question: how do we change Stiles' body?" Deaton asked, turning his gaze to me.

I swallowed, pushing away from the counter and resting a hand on Scott's arm. He looked up at me and blinked. "You need to give him the bite Scott." I told him. "Stiles needs to become a werewolf."

* * *

><p><strong>We're getting so close to the end, I'm both excited and sad, for I've really enjoyed working on this story. Next week's chapter will be a bit shorter than normal, but that's mainly because I don't have the desire to type out Noshinko's tale of the Nogitsune. And hey, if you're reading this, then you should already have seen all of season 3, otherwise I'd be spoiling everything for you! So, you should already know the story.<strong>

**If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave a review! I'll see you next Tuesday with another JET chapter!  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**I know, I know, I'm a day late, but when I sat down to write this chapter, I suddenly had the inspiration to write the final chapter. Between that and the fact that I got called in on a day I usually have off from work, I haven't had many chances to work on this chapter. I'm nearly done with chapter 14 (the final chapter), meaning I only have to write the next chapter and finish the last one. I can't believe there's only two more after this one. I can't wait to see how you guys react to the ending. I know this chapter is short, but the next two should make up for it.**

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><p>"How did you know we'd be here?" Scott asked when I met him and Kira in front of a set of doors that lead into the school.<p>

"Seriously Scott?" I asked, looking at him. "I'm a witch skilled in scrying, what do you think?" I smirked, shaking my head at him. He rolled his eyes, but grinned slightly as we pushed into the school, Kira behind us.

"Okay then, why are you here?" He asked as we raced down the hallway towards the history classroom.

"Like you, I need answers." I told him, my smirk turning into a slight frown. The look Scott gave me told me he knew my mind was on Stiles, as it was. "And I have a feeling your mom might have them Kira."

They both nodded at me, our conversation ending as Scott pushed open the door to the classroom and we all pooled in. Kira's father was on his knees next to his wife, appearing to be chocking on something.

"Kira, did you bring it?!" Mrs. Yukimura asked. Her daughter slid to her knees next to her parents, handing her mother a small vial.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Reishi."

"Magic mushrooms?" I asked, blinking. The woman looked up at me as she tapped some of the reishi into her hands and fed it to her husband. He starts coughing wetly before coughing up a black liquid into a napkin in his hand.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Yukimura asked as she and Kira helped him to his feet. Once he was sitting on the edge of his desk, he nodded slowly, letting out a sigh.

"He was here, wasn't he?" I asked, watching my history teacher. "Stiles."

He looked up, meeting my eyes, and nodded.

"Stiles did this?" Scott asked, sounding shocked. I glanced at him, frowning. Ever since Stiles had disappeared from Eichen House, Scott and I had been doing what we could to find him, using our combined strengths together rather than separately. Unfortunately, we, and everyone else that had been searching, still hadn't found anything.

"He was looking for the last Kaiken." Kira's mother explained, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked at her, and at the foot long dagger she held in her hands. I could feel the power radiating from it, and it caused me to frown. Something, deep within me, told me to be cautious of the blade, and I'd learned at a young age to listen to that voice deep within. "I've kept this near me ever since your friend disappeared."

"Mom, you need to talk to us." Kira demanded, gaze hard as she watched her mother. "About everything."

Scott pulled something, a picture, from his pocket, handing it to the woman. Her expression turned shocked at its presence, making me frown a bit. "Where did you get this?" She demanded.

"Is it grandma?" Kira asked.

"No, it's me."

I raised an eyebrow, my surprise less than Scott's. "If that's you, then you must be at least ninety years old." He said.

"More like nine hundred." Mrs. Yukimura responded, glancing at her daughter.

I looked at Kira. "Okay, sure." She said, eyes wide in complete shock. "Why not? Dad, how old are you?"

"Forty three." He said, smiling slightly. "But I've been told I look like I'm in my thirties."

I chuckled softly at his attempt at humor, everyone's eyes turning to me.

"You don't seem too surprised." Scott pointed out, his eyebrows knitting together slightly.

I smiled at him and shrugged before my eyes turned to Kira's mother. "When I was twelve, I met a woman who was a water nymph. She was almost seven hundred years old." I explained. "And she's a kitsune, don't the legends say that for every one hundred years a kitsune has lived, they gain a tail?"

"They do." Mrs. Yukimura nodded before turning to her still shocked daughter. Kira offered her the katana she held, her mother taking it silently. The older woman turned to the desk of her husband's class room and made to unsheathe the sword, but only the handle came out. I blinked, glancing at Scott before the clatter of metal on wood drew my attention back. Multiple pieces of the katana now lay on the desk's surface.

"The blade was shattered, last time it was used." Mrs. Yukimura explained, setting down the sheath, a small frown on her face as she looked at the pieces of the katana.

"When was that?" Kira asked, causing her mother to turn her head and look at her.

"1943. Against a Nogitsune."

"All this," Scott began, causing all of us to look at him, "it all happened before, hasn't it?"

I frowned, turning my eyes back to Mrs. Yukimura. Her eyes were on me, filled with sadness and regret. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, my frown deepening. "Yes." Was the woman's response, turning her gaze to Scott.

"Those who cannot remember the past are likely to repeat it." Mr. Yukimura stated, looking at Kira.

"Where did it come from?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It was an internment camp during World War II, in Oak Creek. Not too far from here." Mrs. Yukimura told us.

"But you told Allison and Isaac that there was no internment camp at Oak Creek." Scott said, turning to Kira's father.

"Allison's family has a certain history of violence." He told Scott. "I didn't know if she could be trusted. There was a camp, yes, but all the records were erased."

"They covered it up." His wife responded.

Mr. Yukimura nodded, turning to open a draw of his desk and pulled out a journal with pits of paper sticking out from it. "When I was a grad student, my passion project, well, more like an obsession, was trying to dig up the truth on Oak Creek." He'd opened the journal, taking out photos one at a time. "It's how I met your mother, Kira."

Kira looked between her parents before her gaze lowered to the photos. The top one was of a patient in a hospital of some sorts, their face covered in burns.

"So where did the Nogitsune come from?" She asked, looking up at her mother.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mrs. Yukimura asked her, then turned her gaze away. "It came from me."

"History tends to repeat itself." I said softly, frowning. "The Nogitsune, it possessed someone important to you, didn't it?" I asked, frowning when she met my gaze. "A lover?"

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning." She said, turning back to the desk and beginning to arrange the pieces of the katana. She let out a sigh and looked up, turning to her daughter and frowning. "Kira, I need your help." She said. "There isn't much time, and this is something that needs to be done in the daylight."

"We need you to tell us your story." I said, frowning at her. "We need to make sure your Oni don't kill Stiles when the sun sets and we can't do that if you're delaying us here." Kira glanced at me, her anger at her mother melting away for a moment.

"She's right." Kira said, turning to her mother. "I won't help you until you tell us everything."

"Noshiko, maybe you should tell them." Kira's father said, meeting his wife's gaze.

She sighed, turning to look at her daughter and Scott. "Wolves and foxes tend not to get along." She told us, the two teens looking at each other. "And not just in fables and stories."

"But allies, however unlikely, should be welcomed." Mr. Yukimura added. "Especially in times of war."

"We want what is best for everyone." I told Mrs. Yukimura, understanding her hesitance. "But we also want to make sure that Stiles comes out of this _alive_."

She looked at me, frowning before she turned to her husband and set down one of the pieces of the katana. "Very well."

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><p>"We don't want to hear your Casablanca story!" Kira said, interrupting her mother a few minutes later.<p>

"We want to know how to save Stiles!" I added.

"I am trying to tell you."

"No, you're stalling." I told her.

"As soon as the sun goes down, the Oni are going to go after him again, aren't they?" Scott asked.

"Stiles is gone Scott." Mr. Yukimura said.

"No he isn't!" I exclaimed.

Scott looked at me before looking back at Noshiko. "I don't think you know that for sure?" He asked, but she didn't respond. "You brought the Oni, can you call them off?"

"It's not his fault."

"Stiles may be your best friend, he might be like a brother to you Scott, or like a love to you, Kaylani, but he is Nogitsune now. He is _Void_."

"No he's not." I told her, stepping closer. "I was trapped in a cellar for two days with the Nogitsune, while he was plotting and laying out traps, and do you know what I learned? I learned that Stiles and I, we're connected more so than you and your Rhys were, or ever could be. In your 900 some years, have you ever heard of androgynous souls?"

The recognition on her face was instant, her frown deepening, but it was her husband that spoke. "You and Stiles are soul mates?"

"Yes." I told him, though my eyes never left Noshiko's. "And you want to know what it feels like? To be that connected to a person? It feels like there's a string tied around my heart, and it connects me to him, to Stiles. That connection is still there, so he is too."

Noshiko and her husband glanced at one another, both frowning slightly, before she turned back to me. "I'm sorry Kaylani, but Stiles is _gone_."

I shook my head at her words, refusing to believe it. Before I could speak up again and tell her just how wrong I thought she was, Scott spoke. "Can you call the Oni off?" He asked, repeating his earlier question.

Noshiko turned to him. "When you hear the rest of the story, you won't want me to." She told him.

"Then tell us." Kira stated, glancing at me with sadness in her eyes.

I looked away from her, from everyone, my jaw clenching in frustration. Stiles was still in there, I knew it.

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><p>As Noshiko told her story, I merely listened, never speaking up. Then she got to the part where she called upon her ancestors to bring the Nogitsune to exact revenge against those who'd hurt innocent people, and I couldn't stay quiet then.<p>

"So this all falls on you." I said, my frown deepening. "Everything that's happened just comes right back to you. That's why you're doing this, why you're so sure that you were right the first time and why you keep on insisting that the only way to defeat the Nogitsune is to kill the host. You're feeling guilty."

Noshiko sighed, looking at me sternly. "Yes, it is my fault that the Nogitsune is here, why he was here in the first place." She told me. "But you should know, Kaylani, that you and I, we aren't so different. There will come a time where you must make a choice between killing him, freeing him, and letting him take your life."

"Well maybe you should know a bit more about me before you assume that I'd be willing to kill Stiles." I told her harshly. "I've already lost someone important to me by my own hand, I'm not willing to do it again. Ever since the Nogitsune told me about androgynous souls, I knew what was going to happen to me, I've been getting ready for it and preparing myself for it every minute of every day. I've accepted my fate Noshiko, that's why you and I are nothing alike, we never will be. While you were willing to kill Rhys in order to stop the Nogitsune, I am more than ready to die if it means saving Stiles."

"Then I'm sorry Kaylani, you're already dead." She told me, a hint of sadness in the seriousness of her gaze.

I snorted, turning my head to look at Kira and Scott. "I'm going to go and try to find Stiles." I told them. "I refuse to listen to the rest of a story of a woman who was too stubborn in one way to accept that there were a number of things she could have done." My gaze returned to Noshiko again, my face a mask of seriousness. "There are an infinite possibilities for the future, and I will do everything I can to ensure that the one thing the future does hold is Stiles' survival."

With that, I turned away from them, ignoring Scott as he called out for me. I stormed out of the room, out of the school, trying to keep my tears from falling from my eyes.

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><p>I pulled up in front of Derek's loft, frowning slightly. Why here? Why was the Nogitsune here?<p>

When I shut the car door behind me, I heard the sound of an engine approaching, which caused me to hesitate. One of the reasons Derek had chosen this location for his new home had been because few people ever came to this area of Beacon Hills.

The sight of the police cruiser left me feeling both relieved and tense all at once. It pulled up next to where I stood by my car, and I nodded to Stiles' father as he stepped out of the cruiser.

"Sheriff." I said in greeting, offering a grim smile.

"You use a spell or something to find him here?" He asked, looking at me.

"Um, sort of. I more just focused on the connection I have with him and it brought me here." I explained. "Are the others coming?"

"They'll be here in a few minutes." Sheriff Stilinski said with a nod, letting out a sigh. "Why Derek's loft?" He asked, turning his gaze to the building across the street.

"I don't know." I admitted, following his gaze and frowning. "We may as well go up and find out though."

He nodded in agreement, and together we crossed the street, heading up towards the loft side by side.


	13. Chapter 13

**Yay, it's here on the day it's supposed to be! Woo! And yes, I know how late it is and that for some of you, it may already be Wednesday. For me, it's just before midnight on Tuesday, so technically, I reached my set goal. Oh, and I have a tumblr for my fanfiction stuff now, you can find the link to it on my profile! If I remember to keep up with it, I'll probably be treating it as something where you guys can see little updates and random images I put together that may or may not spoil some things when it comes to stories. Like the banner or cover for the Derek story I plan on starting in June will be going up there soon, so feel free to check it out!**

**But, I'll let you read now, enjoy! As promised, it's a long one! And don't forget, if you liked/loved the chapter, shoot me a review, I love to hear your thoughts. And hey, if you didn't like it either, tell me what you didn't like! Any response I get from you guys is amazing, I love them, and I will see you next week! (or Saturday if you read Waiting for Batman : )**

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><p>Entering Derek's loft just a step behind Sheriff Stilinski, my jaw set as the Nogitsune turned towards us. "Hi dad." He said, grinning, but the grin fell when the older man pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "You want to handcuff me?"<p>

"If my son is still here," the sheriff started, stepping deeper into the loft. I followed close behind. "if there is still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly, and he'll come with me. Because he knows I'm here to protect him, from himself, and from others."

My breath caught in my throat when Stiles held his hands up, not fighting it as his father put the cuffs on his wrists and locked them into place. But as soon as they were on, I felt the shift. I reached out, putting my hand on the sheriff's arm. He glanced back at me, and together we turned towards Stiles.

He glanced up, head still bowed slightly, before smirking at us.

"You're not my son." The sheriff breathed out, frowning deeply, as he stepped back once.

The Nogitsune's face tightened slightly as he strained against the metal cuffs. It didn't take much for them to snap and fly off his wrists. I grabbed the sheriff by the arm, pulling him behind me protectively.

The sound of footsteps caused me to turn my head slightly so I could look back, a mixture of emotions washing over me as I saw Derek, Allison, and Chris Argent enter through the open door of the loft.

They walked up to us, and I swallowed as Allison stopped at my right, raising a taser. She pressed her finger against the trigger, but the Nogitsune easily caught the discharge before it could hit him in the neck or chest. Electricity sparked from the wires, and while Allison appeared shocked, I wasn't surprised. Never bring electricity or fire to a kitsune fight.

Using the wires from the taser's shot, the Nogitsune ripped the taser from Allison's hands, causing it to slide across the floor. Derek then took an opportunity to attack from my left, but the Nogitsune quickly grabbed his arm and banged his head against a table before sending the werewolf flying across the room.

The Nogitsune turned to me when I took a step forward and smirked. "Ah, little Lani. How brave of you. What trick do you have up your sleeve?" He asked as I stopped directly in front of him.

"No tricks, that's more your style." I told him, reaching up to put my hand on his cheek. He looked at it, not moving away, before he looked back at me curiously. "I just have a message, for Stiles."

I leaned forward, pressing my lips against his. I was a little surprised when, after a moment, he started kissing me back. Was this Stiles? Or was it the Nogitsune?

Either way, the hand on his cheek slowly moved to the back of his neck as he deepened the kiss slightly, his tongue running along my bottom lip. I parted my lips slightly, just as flames started to jump from my fingers to the skin on his neck.

I let out a cry of pain when suddenly my wrist was being bent at a harsh angle, the kiss ending, but neither pulling away. "Nice try." The Nogitsune whispered against my lips before using his grip on my hand to twist my arm and push me towards Derek.

I slid across the floor, coming to a rest with my head next to Derek's torso. I hissed slightly at the pain in my wrist, but the sound of a gun getting ready to be shot caused me to pause.

I looked up, frowning at the sight of Argent pointing a gun at the Nogitsune's, no, at Stiles' head.

"Argent, you don't want to do this." The sheriff spoke as Derek and I scrambled to our feet.

"Why not, I've done it before." Argent said, keeping his eyes trained on the Nogitsune. "Werewolves, berserkers, I can easily add a Nogitsune to the list."

"But what about an innocent life?" I asked, moving to stand between Argent and the Nogitsune. I was close enough that the gun was just inches from my head, and I was glad to see the man falter slightly, though his face remained hard. "You shoot, you're not just killing the Nogitsune, you're killing Stiles." I reminded him.

"Stiles is gone." Argent told me, never lowering his gun.

"Everyone keeps saying that to me, but it's not going to make me believe that." I told him softly.

I tensed when, out of the corner of my eyes the sheriff raised his own gun, pointing it at the other man.

"You aren't going to shoot my son." He said when Argent's eyes finally left Stiles, turning towards him.

"You said it yourself sheriff, that's not your son." Argent said, moving the aim of his gun so it was over my shoulder.

"Put it down." Stiles' father and I spoke together as I took a step back, trying to create less of a target of Stiles' body for Argent to be able to hit. "Put it down!"

"Dad, he's going to shoot me." I heard the Nogitsune speak behind me, though his voice sounded more like Stiles than he had in a long time. "He's going to kill me, Dad, Lani."

"Don't listen to him." Argent started.

"Put the gun away Argent." I hissed, reaching back on instinct to take the Nogitsune's hand. He pulled me flush against him, using my body as a shield.

"Such a good pawn." He whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver as the two fathers in front of me started shouting. I looked to my right, my eyes meeting Derek's. He was glancing between me and Argent, not sure what to do.

"Pull the trigger Argent, come on." The Nogitsune started to say, causing me to scowl. "Shoot me." I aimed an elbow jab at the fox's ribs, but he caught my arm, shouting over the sheriff. "Shoot me! Shoot Me!"

"Strife." I heard Allison barely whisper to my left, causing me to look at her. I blinked, quickly understanding her train of thought.

I returned my attention to Argent, who was looking torn at this point. "Stop!" I shouted. "Stop this!"

"This is what he wants!" Allison added, raising her voice above the others. I blinked as suddenly the room began to darken, and I felt my heart sink. The sun was setting, the Oni were on their way. "This is exactly what he wants!" Allison shouted.

"Not exactly." The Nogitsune said, resting his chin on my shoulder and causing me to shiver. "I was hoping Scott would be here." The shouting stopped, and I made no move to break out of the Nogitsune's grasp, my jaw tightened. "But I'm glad you all have your guns out, because you're not here to kill me." As he spoke, he turned us around, continuing to use me as a sort of shield, but this time I was between the Oni and the Nogitsune. "You're here to protect me." He said, backing up so that the sheriff and Argent were between us and the Oni.

As the two began to shoot at the Oni, Allison and Derek moving to stand behind us and protect us from that side, the Nogitsune released me. Instantly, just as the fighting began around us, I threw down a protection spell, knowing that if an Oni got close enough to attempt to break through it, it wouldn't take them long to do so.

"Impressive." I heard behind me, causing me to turn and face the Nogitsune. "Not even a spoken spell. You really have true power, don't you, little Lani."

"You really need to stop calling me that." I hissed. "Now what do you want?!"

"Oh don't worry, my plans for you still need to wait. Not all the other pawns are in place just yet." He told me, reaching out to grip my chin in his hand. I slapped it away though, glaring at him. "Tsk, don't anger me Lani, see, I still need you. It would be a shame for me to kill you now, everything else isn't set up properly"

"Stop talking in riddles, fox," I seethed, stepping towards him as flames flickered over the skin of my hands, curling around my fingers and licking up my palms as my anger rose. I tightened my hands into fists, extinguishing the flames before they got out of control. "And stop playing games. Haven't you gotten enough of your strife, pain, and chaos yet?"

The Nogitsune laughed, shaking his head. "Ah, poor little Lani. You don't get it yet, do you? I'm never going to stop. I'm going to kill you, and Derek, and Scott, and everyone else that is close to Stiles. Then I'm going to move on. It's a great big world out there Lani, just ripe for some good old fashion chaos."

I smirked at his words, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, foxy, but you're never going to see outside of this little town. You're stuck here for now, and soon, they'll figure out exactly how to stop you."

"I can't help but notice you didn't say 'we'." The Nogitsune stated with a grin, but before I could respond, his gaze moved to behind me and his expression became stern. "Behind you."

I whipped around quickly, moving just in time to dodge the blade of an Oni as it shattered through my protection spell. This time, I allowed the flames to form in my palm, allowing them to grow before I could shoot a ball of fire at the Oni that had attacked, but before the fire could hit it square in the chest, it disappeared. I whirled around, eyes narrowing as I noticed the absence of the Nogitsune behind me.

"Shit."

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><p>I hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door to the house in front of me. I was praying that only the person inside was the one I wanted to talk to, I couldn't handle seeing my aunt, uncle, and other cousin. I just wanted to talk to Danny right now. Just an hour ago I had faced off against the Nogitsune and the Oni, but still came up short when it had to do with answers.<p>

A sigh of relief left my lips when the door opened, revealing my cousin's face.

"Lani?" He blinked, slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"What, do I really need an excuse to see my favorite cousin?" I asked, hands resting on my hips. The smirk that had appeared as I spoke fell slightly after a moment. "Well, I do actually have a reason. Can we talk?"

"Course, come in." He said, stepping to the side so I could walk into the house.

A couple minutes later, we were sitting on his bed in his room, my legs crossed and a small frown on my face.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked, causing me to look up at him.

I blinked and shook my head slowly. "Danny, I know you probably don't know everything that's going on in this town, and that lack of knowledge is what makes you safe, which is why I know I can ask this of you. Danny, if something happens to me, you need to do something for me." Dark violet eyes met worried dark brown.

"Sounds like a girl's dying wish." He said softly, watching me. "Does this have anything to do that over half of the friends you've made since you moved here aren't human?"

I blinked rapidly before my eyes widened. "You know?"

"Lani, it's Beacon Hills. And six months ago my best friend was this lizard thing that was killing people because he was being controlled by a psychopath. Of course I know, give me some credit." He said, adding a smirk with his last sentence.

"Wow." I breathed, not being able to stop the small smile on my lips. "Well, this makes explaining a bit easier." I told him with a small sigh. "And yeah, it does have something to do with that. Umm…do you know that I'm not exactly human either?"

"You're a werewolf?!"

"No, I'm something much cooler." I chuckled once. "I'm a witch."

Danny's eyes widened a bit. "A witch?"

"Do I need to demonstrate?" I asked, holding up my hand. I wiggled my fingers slightly in a small wave, smirking as his eyes widened even more as I felt small flames flicker over my skin.

"Is that a family thing?" He asked, meeting my gaze again.

I shook my head, smirking slightly. "Nah, the Fates choose people by their potential to be something great. They give these select few powers beyond our wildest dreams, and those powers will either consume them or allow them to grow to be something amazing. That's what makes a witch."

"Does your dad know?" Danny asked after he nodded for about a minute.

I frowned and sighed, looking down at the floor. "No, he doesn't. I mean, think about it Danny. I just showed you that I can create fire from nothing." I told him.

It took him a few moments before he leaned back, frowning slightly at the realization. "Your mom died in a fire."

"I lost control." I told him, closing my eyes. "I was still learning, just two years into my training. I found out my dad had been cheating with the very woman he's now married to, I ran to mom. And she simply accepted it. I was thirteen and angry, not a good combination for a witch with control over fire."

"Oh god Lani, I'm so sorry." Danny said softly, frowning. He reached over, pulling me into a hug. I smiled softly, hugging back.

"I came to peace with her death a while ago Danny, it's okay." I told him quietly.

"That doesn't mean it can't still hurt." He told me, keeping an arm around me as he pulled away from the hug slightly. "So, what is this not so dying wish you want to ask of me?"

"Well, it's more of a favor really." I said, resting my head against his shoulder. "If something happens to me, something big, you need to do something for me, got it?"

"What is it Lani?"

I pulled away from him slightly, leaning down to reach into my bag. I pulled out a slip of paper and a key, and as I sat up, I handed it over to him. Danny blinked, taking it from me. "That's the key to my apartment," I told him, "and the six numbers on that paper are the code to the safe found in my bedroom closet. Inside you'll find a legal will, I don't have much, but I have enough that I want to make sure it goes to the right people, and there are six letters. I want you to make sure those letters get to who they're addressed to without anyone seeing them."

"They're good-bye letters, aren't they?" Danny asked, looking down at the key and the code. He smirked slightly, holding up the paper between his fingers. "And really?"

I smirked softly, taking it from him to look at the numbers. "They are, and I forgot how much of a computer whiz you were. Of course you'd be able to see the code here."

"He's that important to you, isn't he?" Danny asked, sighing. "You don't have to die Lani. Maybe it would be safer if you visited your dad for a week or two."

I chuckled, shaking my head as I gave him back the paper. "Why does everyone tell me that?" I asked, looking him in the eye now. "I'm not leaving Danny. Like you said, he's important. And you may know about werewolves and kanimas and witches, but you don't know everything."

"Then tell me." He prodded, a small frown on his face.

I looked at him and sighed before nodding. "Alright, everything it is then."

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><p>When my phone rang nearly an hour later, I blinked and looked down, frowning when I didn't recognize the number on the screen. I glanced at Danny, telling him silently that I had to take it. He nodded and stood, leaving his room to give me a moment.<p>

I slid my finger across the screen, answering the call. "Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Kaylani, its Peter Hale. You remember me, right?"

My eyes widened slightly before I scowled. "How did you get this number Pete?"

"My my, a question for a question, but I'm going to assume your answer would be yes." I rolled my eyes at Peter's response. "Derek needs to speak with you, at the loft."

"Then why isn't Derek the one calling me?" I asked, frowning a bit.

"Because he doesn't know he needs to you at the moment." Peter admitted, causing me to pause in the movement of my fingers running through my hair. "He's trying to figure something out that's beyond his abilities at the moment, and I think you could really help him."

"Pete, I don't know you very well, but I think I've learned enough to know that you aren't one to ask others to do something without there being some sort of bargain or something. So what do you want?" I asked.

"I want to ensure that my nephew is safe. You help him find the answers he's so desperate to discover, you'll help to make sure he has the knowledge to make it out of this whole Nogitsune chaos alive." He drawled.

I closed my eyes. "Then what do I get?" I asked. "If this is a deal, then there should be a gain for both sides."

"You get to know that your precious big brother is safe, of course." He stated.

"No no, Derek's safety is your end of the deal. I have something else I need from you Petey, and if you agree to my terms, not only will I do what you want, more for Derek than for you of course, but I'll convince Lydia that she needs to give you the name of your daughter."

I heard his breath hitch on the other end of the line and I smiled softly.

"I have a daughter?" He asked, then, his next words were commanding. "WHO IS IT?!"

I smirked, leaning back on the bed slightly, resting my weight on one hand, the other holding my phone to my ear. "I'm not telling you Pete, that's part of the deal. Lydia has to be the one to tell you, and she will, in due time. So agree to my terms now, or I'll make sure you never hear the name of your daughter."

"Fine." He ground out. "What do you want?"

"All in due time Pete." I said before taking my phone away from my ear and hanging up on the older man. Looking at the screen, I sighed softly.

A knock on the door causes me to look up, seeing Danny there. I smiled softly and stood, grabbing my bag as I did so.

"Gotta go?" Danny asked, leaning against the door jam.

"Supernatural duty calls, cousin dearest." I said, walking up to him and standing on the tips of my toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Be safe Danny."

"No, you be safe." He told me, pulling me into a tight hug. I returned it, closing my eyes and just standing there in his arms for a few minutes before I had to pull away.

"I know." I breathed before slipping past him, set on heading back to the loft.

* * *

><p>I pushed open the door to the loft, smiling at Derek as his head snapped up. Confusion caused his brow to furrow as he looked at me, standing straight from his previous bent over position.<p>

"What are you doing here?" He asked as I walked into the loft, closing the door behind me.

"Your dear uncle thinks I might be able to help you do…whatever it is you're doing." I explained with a shrug. "What are you doing?" I asked as I approached him, looking down at the chess board he had set up before him.

"When we were looking for Stiles and you were with Scott and Kira to get answers from her parents, we went to Stiles' room and the Nogitsune had set up this chess board." Derek began to explain, walking around the table so that he stood opposite of me. "What do you make of it?"

I looked over the board, taking in the fact that some of the pieces were labeled. "You're one move away from being put in check." I stated, putting a finger on the black king with Derek's name on it. "But not check mate."

"But what does that mean?" Derek hissed sharply, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No idea." I told him, rolling my eyes slightly. "But, I also see a way to save your piece from check."

"How?" He asked, watching me. I frowned, reaching out and picking up the black queen. The label on it read 'Lani', which caused me to question a few things. Just a few hours ago, the Nogitsune had told me I was nothing more than a pawn in his game. So why was I the queen on the chess board?

I moved the queen into position where it kept Derek's piece safe, a legal move, by chess rules, but it put me at risk. "He wants me to sacrifice myself for you?" I questioned softly, my gaze raising from the chess board to meet the worried look in Derek's.

"Why?" He asked sharply, looking back down at the board. "Is there any other move that could happen to save my piece?"

I blinked, moving my piece back to its previous location. I surveyed the board again, moving a few pieces before putting them back. After moving each piece back into its original placement, my frown deepened slightly until I was scowling. "That's the only way to save your piece," I told Derek, "but there is one way Stiles' piece can be put into check as well, but it again puts my piece at risk."

"So the only two moves that can be made are with your piece, but both options put you at risk." Derek concluded, shaking his head.

"Derek, both options mean I get taken off the board. I think we know what that means in the actual world when it comes to the Nogitsune's plans." I said, looking up at him again.

Derek frowned, looking back at me. "No." He growled softly, rounding the table to stop next to me. He put his hands on my shoulders, giving me a stern look. "We are not letting you die for that bastard's plans."

"Derek, I've been ready to die since mom." I told him softly. He winced slightly, but nodded curtly.

* * *

><p>"Scott!" I shouted, banging my fist against the front door of his house. It was the next morning, the day after I'd talked to Danny and practically told him good-bye, just in case. As soon as I'd gotten a call from Deaton about Lydia finding Stiles, I'd drove straight here, where they were bringing him.<p>

The door flew open, revealing a wide-eyed Lydia. "He's in the living room." She said, stepping out of the way so I could rush into the house. I quickly found myself in the McCall's living room, coming to an abrupt halt when I saw him.

They'd bound him and covered his mouth with duct tape, but he was there. His eyes flickered over towards me, and the amusement and pleased look in his eyes caused me to pause. I swallowed nervously, thinking back on the chess board at Derek's loft before tearing my eyes away from him.

"So we got him, now what?" I asked, looking at Scott as I joined them in the kitchen. Melissa was stitching up the knife would in Stiles' abdomen, and something told me the Nogitsune had done it to himself. I sighed, wondering what the fox had in plan. "And are we sure this isn't another trick?" I looked at everyone's faces: Scott, Deaton, and Lydia.

"We don't know, but it's better than taking him to the hospital." Scott said.

"Oh, I agree with you there." I agreed, glancing over my shoulder and into the living room. A frown appeared on my face as I saw the lack of duct tape on the Nogitsune's mouth, a smirk replacing it. He was speaking quietly to Melissa. As I watched, she put the duct tape back. "Give me a moment." I said softly to the others before going back into the living room.

I rested my hand on Melissa's shoulder, causing her to look up at me. "Is it alright if I take over?" I asked.

"You're the witch, right?" She asked, causing me to nod. She smiled thinly, nodding back and stood. "Be careful." She whispered before getting up.

I took her spot, finishing up the bandaging of the Nogitsune's wound. I could easily heal the wound, but I felt that as long as it wasn't Stiles here, it wouldn't be an issue to let him keep a wound that would possibly slow him down.

"Back at Derek's loft, you practically said I was a pawn." I said quietly, glancing up at his face. He raised an eyebrow, silently telling me to continue. I rolled my eyes, looking back down as I worked, but started talking again. "But I saw the chess board. Derek made an exact replica of it, including the labels. You had me as the Black Queen, with only two moves. One was defensive, the other offensive, but both would end up with my piece getting captured. I don't know if that was a warning from you or from Stiles, but I get it. No matter what I do, you're going to kill me, aren't you?" I asked, looking at his face again. "But, maybe if I'm prepared for it, you won't be able to strike. I don't plan on dying at your hands, baka." At that, the Nogitsune rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "Oh don't worry, even if I do die, which I'm ready for, either way, you aren't going to win. Because when it comes to the end of the war, the good guys always win."

He chuckled against the duct tape, raising an eyebrow at me again.

"You know, I don't really like your attitude." I said softly as I finished up the bandaging. I placed my hand over it, right over the cut on his abdomen, and looked him right in the eyes as I whispered, "_Pian a thabhairt arm o namhaid_."

His eyes widened as he groaned against his bonds, thrashing as best as he could under the lingering effects of the kanima poison. But the spell only lasted a few seconds, the pain residing when I drew my hand away.

I started to stand, leaning forward slightly so that I could whisper in his ear. "Remember, the good guys will win."

* * *

><p><strong>pian<strong>**a thabhairt****ar mo****namhaid**** – Irish for 'bring pain upon my enemy'**


	14. Chapter 14

**This is by far the most heart-wrenching fan-fiction I've ever written. Enjoy. The final banner can be found on my profile.**

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><p>"<strong>Truth be told, I'm still just scared as hell that I'll fool the world and never fool myself."<strong>

**-'I Could Live With Dying Tonight' by Emma Lee**

* * *

><p>You know that saying "bad things happen to good people"? Well, I have my own views of that saying, and I think that bad things happen to good people because they can either make that person stronger, make them a better person, or it will break them. It's a philosophy I've had ever since Laura and Derek told me what had happened to their family. Laura had looked at me when I asked her why, why did something so bad have to happen to people so good.<p>

"Because God wants us to be strong, so he puts difficult obstacles in front of us to see what we'll do. We can either let the pain, the agony of something bad break us down, turning us evil or weak, or we can keep fighting and stay strong, leaping over the hurdle and onto the next one."

I'd never taken Laura as a religious person, but what she had said that day always stuck with me. Bad things happened to good people, because in order for those good people to be strong, they need to prove that they are. I've experienced more than enough bad things in my life, and each of them have made me stronger.

The day I killed my mother, seeing that acceptance in her eyes when she realized I wasn't really human, I became stronger. I became strong when my father told me he was going to marry the very woman he'd been seeing behind my mother's back, when my step-brother first told me I wasn't wanted in my family any more, when I told my dad I wasn't going to go with them to San Francisco, and the day I learned Laura was dead.

Each one of those moments made me a better person, despite the pain that came with them.

And on the day I died, I wasn't the only one to became stronger.

* * *

><p>"I don't like this." I said, frowning as I stood with my arms crossed over my chest as I watched Peter walk into the McCall's house.<p>

Peter smiled at me thinly. "Just say it Lani." He said simply, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I think I've already made it pretty clear how much I don't like you, Pete." I stressed, rolling my eyes as he raised his hands in surrender, walking around the couch and observing the Nogitsune.

"He doesn't look like he would survive a slap across the face," Peter stated, "much less the bite of a werewolf."

"You don't think it would work?" Scott asked, all of us watching as Peter bent over slightly, right in front of the Nogitsune.

"This is more a war of the mind than the body." Peter observed. "There are better methods for winning this battle." He stated as he stood up straight again, now standing side by side with Scott.

"What kind of methods?" Deaton asked as he stepped forward, on Peter's other side.

Peter reached down and gripped Scott's hand, raising it and causing Scott's claws to snap out. I raised an eyebrow, watching as the Nogitsune looked at the claws with mild interest.

"We're going to get into his head." The ex-alpha stated.

"Peter, We need to talk." I snapped. Looking over at me, Peter rolled his eyes, walking over to me and grabbing my arm as he pulled me to the kitchen.

When we finally came to a stop, he looked back towards the others. "You too Lydia."

I pulled my arm from his grip, glaring as Lydia walked over to us. "Why do you want to talk to me too?" Lydia asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she came to a stop at my side.

"Because, I know the two of you know the name of my daughter." He said quietly.

Lydia blinked, turning her head to look at me. "You told him it was a girl?" She asked.

"I needed to bait him in, because, if Pete here remembers correctly, he owes me a favor yet." I said simply, glaring at the man. "And in return, you tell him her name."

"Why me?" Lydia asked.

"Because, it has to be you." I shrugged, glancing over at her.

"So, will this be that favor you asked of me, Lani?" Peter asked.

"No." I stated simply, looking at him again. "No, you're going to do this out of the goodness of your blackened heart Pete. I'm sure Lydia will tell you her name either way, I don't care, but you'll still owe me a favor."

He growled softly, but nodded. "So, you'll do it?" He asked, glancing back into the living room.

"Of course I'll do it." I told him, my tone telling him how stupid I thought his question was as I turned to walk back towards the others. Lydia glanced between us before following me, Peter growling softly once more before he followed as well.

"So, do we have a plan?" Deaton asked, watching the three of us curiously.

"Scott is going to try and dig through pale and sickly, evil Stiles' mind, to unearth pale and sickly real Stiles." Peter said, resting his hands on the back of the couch. "Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious, but he's not going to go in alone."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, looking between Peter, Lydia, and myself.

"Somebody needs to go in with you," Peter said, slowly turning his head to look at me, "and Kaylani is our best option. She and Stiles share a bond that's older than any of us, even the fox here."

"Wait, what?" Melissa asked, causing me to look up.

"Oh, Scott much not have mentioned. Stiles and I are kind of soul mates." I told her. "We've gone through countless reincarnations trying to learn to love one another, getting a little closer each time."

"Oh." She stated simply, blinking rapidly as she let that information sink in.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Sit down Kaylani, so we can get started."

I glared at him, but did as he said, sitting on the other end of the couch from the Nogitsune. The fox turned his head to look at me, raising an eyebrow. I focused my glare on him for a moment, as Scott moved to stand next to Peter behind us, before looking forward again. I glanced up, meeting Lydia's gaze. She frowned, but nodded slightly at me. I smiled back slightly, silently thanking her for agreeing to tell Peter about Malia, even if she never actually voiced that she would. Something told me she'd do it, in the way her jaw was set in determination.

With Scott's claws out and at the ready, Peter moved the alpha's hands, readying them at the back of my neck and the Nogitsune's. "So, what do we do if we find him?"

"You're going to have to guide him out somehow." Peter told him, moving to set Scott's clawed fingers just against the skin on the back of my neck. "Try to give him back control of his mind, and his body."

"Could you elaborate on that for us Pete?" I asked, frowning slightly. "You're not exactly being very specific at the moment."

"Improvise." I heard Peter say behind us, causing me to let out a breath, closing my eyes to resist rolling them in irritation.

"What if this is another trick?" Scott asked behind me, causing me to open my eyes and look at the Nogitsune out of the corner of my eye, trying not to move my head at all.

I head Peter scoff behind me. "When are you people going to start trusting me?" He asked.

"Not you, you idiot." I snapped. "The fox."

"Oh." This time, I couldn't stop myself from roll my eyes.

"Scott, we're running out of time." Deaton said, voicing what we all knew.

"He's right Scott, it's all we can do right now." I told him.

I couldn't see it, but I assumed Scott nodded, for the next thing I knew, his breathing coming in deeper breaths. A soft gasp left my lips as I felt his claws pierce through my skin, right before my vision went black.

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open, looking up at a plain, white ceiling. Looking to my left, I saw Scott and sighed in relief, but when I made to sit up, I found that I was strapped down to the bed I was laying on.<p>

"What the hell?" I breathed, scowling in frustration.

"I think this is Eichen House." Scott said, causing me to turn my head and look at him again. I looked around the room, taking in the plain walls, small room, and bed-side tables next between the beds we were bound to. I nodded at him.

"Probably." I said softly, wiggling my hand so that my palm was away from the mattress.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked.

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Trying to get out." I told him, my tone asking 'what else would I be doing'.

"We're in Stiles' head, are you sure you can _do_ magic?" He asked, blinking.

"Scott, you're a werewolf and I'm a witch. When presented with an opportunity, be sure to try taking it before you give up on it." I told him, shaking my head. As I focused on melting the leather bounds on my wrist, I heard Scott grunt slightly to my left before the sound of leather snapping reached my ears. I glanced at him and grinned. "There you go." I said, before my hands blazed, the leather around my wrists starting to smoke before I used my strength to snap through the weakened material.

Once we were both free and standing, we glanced at the door. "Only way out." I said softly, glancing at the window opposite of the door and the bars that covered it.

"Then let's go." Scott said, going towards the door. He opened it, revealing a hallway, and glanced back at me. I nodded, offering him a thin smile. He smiled back before walking through the door.

I took a step forward to follow, but as soon as Scott had passed through the doorway, the door snapped shut suddenly behind him, separating us. "Scott!" I shouted, grabbing the handle and trying to open the door, but the handle wouldn't even turn. I released it, banging on the small, fogged window on the door. "Scott!" I shouted again, hoping he could hear me, but something told me he couldn't.

"Oh my little Lani, how you've grown." A voice said behind me, causing me to freeze.

I closed my eyes, knowing that voice. A large part of me didn't want to turn around, didn't want to face her, face that part of my past.

"Why don't you turn around child, I'd like to see how beautiful you've become."

My eyes opened, wet with tears I refused to shed. Jaw clenching in determination not to cry, I turned slowly.

The room changed, turning into something straight from my memories. For a moment, I wondered how this could be in Stiles' head, but I knew he'd seen the pictures the one time he'd been inside my apartment. That's how he knew what she looked like, the woman sitting in her chair by the window that looked out onto the backyard that I used to play in as a child.

"Mom." I said, voice shaking as my hands balled up into fists, my nails biting into my palm.

"Hello Lani." She smiled, the corners of her mouth creasing slightly. She looked exactly as she did that day, the day she died, the day she died because of me.

I shook my head, blinking back tears. "This isn't real." I told her. "You're not real."

"No, I'm not." She stated simply, folding her hands in her lap as she turned her head, looking out the window. "But these memories are, your memories."

I crossed the room slowly, following her gaze to the world outside the window. My breath caught in my throat as I saw my childhood self, probably six or seven years old, playing with the local stray dog, Jimmy. No one was able to keep the poor thing, but everyone in town loved him, fed them their scraps from meals. He didn't look like a stray mutt, you couldn't feel his ribs and sometimes he even got a bath in someone's backyard once in a while. He was everyone's dog, but he loved children the most.

"Why are you here?" I asked, standing beside her. She turned her head, looking up at me.

"Well, the Nogitsune wants me to keep you here, but we both know that's not going to happen." She stated, her entire demeanor changing from content, to sad.

"This isn't real." I said again, looking at her. "And I can't stay here, not matter how much I want to."

My mother's mouth twitched slightly, like she wanted to smile, but couldn't. "Lani, you need to let me go."

I shook my head slowly, drawing my bottom lip between my teeth and biting it. "I can't."

"My death wasn't your fault, my little Lani.

"Yes it was!" I shouted, taking a step back as the first tear fell. "I lost control, but if I had worked harder, trained harder, I would have been able to control it!"

"You need to stop blaming yourself, child. What happened was no one's fault."

"It was my own." I said, dropping down to my knees and reaching out to grip her skirt in my hands. "I killed you."

My mother leaned forward slightly, taking my face between her palms and forced me to look up at her. "No you didn't little Lani. What happened was an accident."

I shook my head, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry." I breathed, leaning into her touch, relishing in the feeling that I've missed for nearly four years. "I am so sorry."

"I know child." She whispered, wiping the tears from my cheeks with her thumbs. "Now, you must go. Go and save your Stiles from the darkness."

I opened my eyes, looking back up at her. "I miss you mom." I said, voice broken.

"I miss you too, my beautiful daughter." She smiled, leaning forward more to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes for a moment, opening them again when she pulled away. "Go." She whispered.

I nodded, pulling away. My heart broke as I stood, turning my back to her. I let out a small sob when I took my first step, a large part of me so tempted to stay with her, to remember her as she was, not what I'd done to her. But I pushed myself forward, crossing my old living room.

"Little Lani." Her voice reached my ears again just as my fingers touched the doorknob. I froze for a second, a part of me screaming to not turn around again, knowing that if I did, my resolve would break. But, finally, I turned my head, looking back at her. She smiled solemnly, nodding once. "You know I'll always love you."

"I know." I whispered, voice shaking. "I love you too."

My mother nodded once again before turning to look back out the window, smiling at the memories of my childhood that played on the other side. I blinked rapidly before forcing my to grip the door knob and turn it, watching my mother as I stepped through the door. I kept my eyes trained on her until the door closed.

"Lani!"

I turned, blinking as I looked across the open white room I was suddenly in, seeing Scott running towards me. I looked over my shoulder, letting out a shaking breath when I saw the nearest wall was ten or so feet away.

"You okay?" Scott asked as he reached me, putting his hands on my shoulders and forcing me to look at him.

I nodded, even though I knew I was shaking from head to toe. "Fine." I said, voice still broken slightly.

Scott looked at me for a moment, frowning slightly. "Alright." He said, instead of pushing the subject. "Come on."

One of his hands slid down my arm, taking my hand in his as he and I turned, looking across the room. A relieved sigh left my lips as I saw Stiles. He and the Nogitsune were sitting on what appeared to be a large stump, possibly from an oak tree, but something told me the stump was the Nemeton that he'd told me about on day, which now seemed so far away. Between them was a board of some type, like they were playing checkers or something. From this distance, I couldn't tell.

"Stiles!" I called, but he didn't look up. He couldn't hear me.

"Come on." Scott said again, releasing my hand and, together, we started to run across the room, but no matter how far we thought we went, it was like we were running in place.

"Scott, stop, it's pointless!" I said a few minutes later, stopping to scowl. Scott stopped beside me, jaw clenched as he stared across the room at his best friend.

I glanced at Scott, when suddenly it hit me. I looked across the room, a smirk slowly growing on my lips. "Scott, Stiles is part of you pack, right?"

"What?" He asked, turning his head to look at me.

I glanced at him, grinning. "He's human, but he's pack. And how do wolves signal their location to their pack mates?"

Scott blinked a few times before grinning back, turning to look back at Stiles and the Nogitsune. "They howl." He said, his face transforming into his wolf form.

"Scott, wait." I said, just when he was about to howl. He turned to look at me again, blinking. "Together?" I asked, holding out my hand.

He glanced down at it before looking back up to meet my gaze. He smiled softly and nodded. As soon as his hand gripped mine, I drew on his abilities, my face transforming, my eyes turning a reddish-purple. Scott and I turned back towards back to where Stiles and the Nogitsune sat, and I smirked when I saw that the Nogitsune was watching us now, it's head tilted slightly.

"Sorry fox, I told you we will win." I whispered softly before, together, Scott and I howled, the joined calls filling the room.

Just as our howls reached them, Stiles' movements paused. Then, his head turned towards us, finally recognizing our presence across the room. He blinked before looking up at the Nogitsune, his face contorting into one of determination as he suddenly swept the pieces on the game board off.

"Yes!" I whooped, grinning as suddenly the white room began to fade quickly.

* * *

><p>I shot forward with a gasp, hand snapping up to grip the back of my neck, where Scott's claws had once been. I could feel the slight amount of blood coming from the marks, but as I got to my feet, turning towards the couch, I didn't care so much that I was bleeding as much as I cared about seeing if we'd been able to pull Stiles out of his shell from the Nogitsune's control or not.<p>

"Did it work?" Scott was asking, rounding the couch to Stiles. "Did it work?!"

"What happened?" I asked, shaking slightly as I looked at Stiles, or the Nogitsune, his head bowed and his body unmoving.

"Why didn't it work?" Lydia asked, stepping up to my side.

"Because Lydia, it's not science, it's supernatural, now give me a name." Peter said, taking Lydia by the arm and turning her towards him.

"What name?" Scott asked, turning away from Stiles to look at them, confusion clear in his eyes. He glanced at me, but I looked away, not ready to tell him. "What are you talking about?" He asked Peter, watching as the man pulled Lydia back towards the kitchen.

"Lydia, a deal is a deal, even with me." Peter said, his voice just barely reaching my ears as the lingering effects of absorbing power from Scott's wolf allowed my hearing to become better.

I turned my head to look at them just in time to see Lydia lean forward and whisper Malia's name in Peter's ear.

Just then, Stiles' head snapped up. He reached up, Scott having untied him after we'd returned to the real world, and pulled the duct tape from over his mouth as he jerked forward, landing on his hands and knees on the floor. Scott back up towards me as he started to pull something from his mouth.

Suddenly Stiles gagged slightly, and endless stream of old gauze bandages coming from his mouth until there was a pile of them on the floor. I gasped, seeing something in the pile begin to shift before a hand started to rise from the pile.

I backed away slightly, unsure of what was going on as a body, the body of the Nogitsune, started to pull itself from the bandages, and seemingly out of nowhere.

Suddenly, as Peter and Scott went to pin the Nogitsune down in a chair, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. "Time to go." Stiles' voice whispered in my ear, causing me to freeze. Peter and Scott didn't have the Nogitsune, no, the Nogitsune was hitting the back of my neck precisely to force me into unconsciousness, my vision fading to black.

* * *

><p>I groaned slightly, right before I opened my eyes. "I really need to stop waking up like this." I groaned, sitting up slightly. I blinked, looking around me before I noticed I wasn't alone. "Lydia?" I asked, shaking the sleeping form of the other girl slightly to rouse her. "Lydia." I repeated.<p>

She gasped slightly before she was sitting up, blinking slightly as she gripped my arms. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around us.

"No idea." I confessed, easing out of her grip to stand, then helped her to her feet. "Some sort of tunnel." I said, glancing both directions. "We should start moving though, try and find a way out."

"You're a witch, aren't you?" Lydia asked, narrowing her eyes critically. "Why can't you just cast a spell to point us in the right direction?"

I sighed, turning back to look at her. "One: I'm still in training, I haven't learned how to do something like that. Two: even if I could, a spell like that would look for any type of exit, whether or not it's locked wouldn't be included in such a spell. It would probably just lead us to a dead end." I told her. "So please, for one moment forget that you don't like or trust me and just know that that damn fox took both of us for a reason, and we need to survive for as long as we can so the others can at least find us if we can't find our own way out."

Before she could respond, I turned my back to her again and started walking down the tunnel.

"I don't, you know." She said, effectively stopping me in my tracks.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting out another sigh, before I turned to her. "Don't what?"

"Not like or trust you." She stated with a shrug, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I do think your wardrobe isn't the greatest, but _when_ we get out of here, I am going to take you shopping." I blinked when Lydia smiled slightly, though the uncertainty in her eyes was easy to read.

I laughed once, letting my head drop for a moment. "I'd like that." I said, looking at her again. "So, can we start moving?"

"Of course." She said, starting to walk past me.

When we'd woken, I hadn't been able to tell what time it was, but we walked for nearly an hour or so before Lydia forced me to stop. "Did you hear that?" She said, her voice a whisper.

I blinked, looking at her. "I didn't hear anything." I told her. She looked panicked for a moment, looking behind us. I turned towards her fully, gripping onto her shoulders and giving her a slight shake. My goal was achieved when she turned her head back to look at me, her eyes wide. "Lydia, what do you hear?"

"People screaming." She breathed, closing her eyes. "I need to take a break, my feet are killing me." She added, changing the subject.

I stood frozen for a moment before finally nodding, letting her go. She moved away from me, pacing down the tunnel in the direction we'd come from, in the direction she'd heard the screaming come from. Watching her as the seconds ticked by, I could tell she could still hear the screaming, even though not a sound met my ears. "Lydia, are you alright?" I asked when a couple of minutes had passed, my worry for the other girl increasing.

She looked at me and nodded, her mouth pressed in a thin line. She turned away again before I could speak, so instead I merely let out a sigh. Turning slightly, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, deciding that resting wasn't a bad idea at the moment.

But as soon as I'd closed my eyes, my brain started to race. I'm surprised my thoughts hadn't yet started to wander, but as my concerns about where the hell the Nogitsune was, and what the others were doing to try and find us. If or when they did find us.

I shook my head, shaking that thought from my head. They'd find us, I knew they would. But for now, Lydia and I had to deal with the issue at hand.

"Do you hear that Lydia?"

My eyes snapped open, turning my head to the left just as Lydia did, our eyes wide. Down the tunnel, in the direction we had been heading, a figure was walking towards us. I swallowed at the sight, knowing exactly who it was.

"It's louder than usual, isn't it?" The Nogitsune, that damned fox, asked as he slowly walked towards us. "Well that's because a lot of bad things happened down here."

I pushed away from the hall, turning by back to the fox and reached out, gripping Lydia's hand as I started to walk quickly back the way we'd come.

"What are the voices telling you Lydia? Are they saying that Stiles is dying?"

I winced at his words, a sharp pain in my heart causing me to falter for a mere second as I kept my eyes trained forward, trying to drown out his words as Lydia looked behind us. Through the grip I had on her hand, I could feel her shaking slightly in fear.

"It's okay Lydia, just try to shut out his voice." I whispered over my shoulder, meeting her gaze when her head whipped back to look at me.

She swallowed, nodding franticly as we continued fast walking down the tunnels, afraid that if we ran, we'd slip and fall on the uneven, wet floor underneath our feet.

"He is, you know." The Nogitsune's voice reached my ears again.

"Shut up!" I shouted over my shoulder, jaw clenched tight. My words were met with a laugh that went straight to my bones, chilling them.

"He's dying Lani, and there's nothing you can do."

I blinked rapidly, tightening my grip on Lydia's hand and speeding up slightly, just wanting to get away from this damn fox and his words and the truth behind them.

"Then what do you need us for?!" Lydia shouted as we turned a corner franticly, momentarily out of the Nogitsune's line of sight. "You think that I could tell you something? That Lani could cast some sort of spell or ritual to help you somehow?!"

I blinked at the sight of a gate in front of us suddenly. Lydia let go of my hand, pushing around me to try and shake open the old metal bars. I stood next to her, knowing it was pointless. The Nogitsune surly had made sure we wouldn't find our way out easily.

The Nogitsune was chuckling again, the sound bouncing off the walls and pipes of the tunnels, making it sound like he was feet away. "Oh I know you can Lydia." He said. This caused Lydia to look back at me the fear in her eyes clearer now than it had been earlier, before she was shaking the bars again, desperate.

"I'm not telling you anything!" Lydia cried out.

"You won't have to."

I froze, feeling the fox suddenly right behind me. Lydia and I turned at the same time, looking at him.

"You'll be screaming."

Before I could react, Lydia did just that, she screamed. I clenched my teeth together again, moving forward quickly and pinning the Nogitsune against the wall. "Lydia, run!" I told her, glaring when the fox laughed.

"Oh Lani, you are so amusing." He said as Lydia rushed passed us.

"I'm not listening to you any more fox." I hissed to him. "Your words mean nothing to me."

"Is that true?" He asked, grinning as he tilted his head a bit. "Even the part about Stiles dying?"

"Shut up!" I said again, raising a hand and punching him in the face. He stumbled to the side, clearly not expecting me to physically attack him. I took that moment to run after Lydia, putting distance between me and him.

I followed Lydia through the maze of tunnels, following the sound of her footsteps as they echoed against the walls. I believed I was gaining on her, catching us seeing as how she was in slightly heeled boots while I wore a pair of Converse sneakers, but then I called out to her, and she called back.

I stopped in my tracks, looking behind me, the way I'd come, the way Lydia's voice had come from.

"Shit." I breathed, running back, knowing that the Nogitsune would take advantage of us being separated.

"-what useless lead they're chasing." The Nogitsune's voice reached me suddenly, as I came to a crossroads in the tunnels. I stopped, closing my eyes to concentrate on the direction his voice was coming from. "I wonder if maybe some of them have bigger problems to deal with right now. Are they really spending every minute looking for you? Looking for Kaylani? Or, are they waiting for nightfall, focused on some hopeless gesture to pass the time?"

My jaw was sore, from how hard I was clenching it as I turned slowly in a circle where I stood, focusing on the sound of his voice and where it was coming from. I stopped, opening my eyes and turning my head to look down the tunnel to my left. There.

"More." I head as I ran as quietly as I could, trying to make sure I could hear either Lydia or the Nogitsune speaking. But it was difficult, with how the tunnels seemed to carry sound forever.

"More of what?" I let out a slightly relieved sigh at Lydia's voice.

"The Trickster stories are all about food, Lydia. Coyote. Raven. Fox. They are all hungry."

I turned another corner, stumbling into the wall when I didn't slow down enough for the turn. I winced as the cold stone bite into the exposed skin on my arm, but pushed down the feeling of mild pain, wishing I could cut off my other senses to somehow heighten my hearing. Anything to pin point their location better. I knew I was getting closer, from how their words were getting louder. But then again, it could just be another trick of the tunnels, leading me astray once again.

"I'm the same. I just crave something a little different. I eat what you feel. And I'm insatiable."

My feet skidded against the wet floors as I came to another turn in the tunnels, spotting the Nogitsune pinning Lydia against another barred off exit as she whimpered.

"Let her go!" I shouted, a gust of wind suddenly pushing him away from her and forcing him to fall down onto the stairs between me and them, though the wind merely caused Lydia's hair to stir slightly.

She gasped, turning suddenly and looking up the steps at me as the Nogitsune groaned, turning onto his stomach to glare up at me.

I smirked, tilting my head as I saw something else in his eyes besides annoyance or anger at me. "You're nervous fox." I said softly, glancing up past him to Lydia for a moment before my eyes met his again. "Aren't you? Because you know they're coming, the Oni. And you know what they're going to do when they get to you. They're going to kill you."

The Nogitsune pushed up away from the stairs, brushing his hands on the jeans he wore as he grinned, turning his head to look at Lydia. She took a step back, going as far as she could against the bars. He stepped towards her, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her flush against him as she squeaked. His grip on her was tight as he turned his head back to me. "Why do you think I'm keeping her so close? Now, shall we get moving?"

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><p>I couldn't think of what to do, how to get him away from Lydia. The Nogitsune's grip on her was too tight, and when she'd glance back at me fearfully, as I followed them through the tunnels, I would wince. Even if I was able to use a gust of wind to blow him off his feet again, knock him down, the grip the fox had on her would bring Lydia down with her, and it was likely that he would respond and be on his feet quicker than she.<p>

Finally, we came to a stop as the Nogitsune pulled open a gate that lead into a small, circular room. He pushed Lydia inside, causing her to stumble slightly, then turned to me. "Come along, little Lani. We need to set my plan in motion now, before it's too late."

"I'm not helping you." I hissed as I stepped up to him.

"Not willingly, no, but that's unimportant." He chuckled once before his face turned serious. He gripped my arm in a tight, painful grip and forced me into the room after Lydia. He didn't let go of me though, as he closed the gate behind him, then centered myself and him in the center of the room, next to where Lydia was standing now.

"They're here." Lydia hissed to him, causing the Nogitsune to look at her with nervous eyes. "And I don't have to scream to know they're going to kill you."

"Good, this is exactly why I brought you." He told her, though he was frowning slightly. With his attention on Lydia, I attempted to free my arm from his grip, but he merely tightened his hold on me, causing me to cry out slightly when his grip turned painful. "I needed to know when they'd be close enough. Know when my own death was closing in."

With his free hand, the Nogitsune pulled out a thing, long dagger. I recognized it instantly, my blood running cold at the sight of Noshiko's Kaiken in his hand. He looked up, smirking slightly when he saw the fear in my eyes. "Ah, you recognize it?"

I looked up, meeting his slightly amused gaze, and merely narrowed my eyes in response.

"You're afraid of it." He stated, turning to we stood facing each other completely. He moved his hand, the one that was gripping my arm, up to the back of my neck, taking advantage of the fact that, as I realized what was likely about to happen, and why I'd felt like I should fear the weapon he held in his hands from the first moment I saw it. Fingers dug into my neck as the Nogitsune chuckled softly, adjusting his grip on the Kaiken. "Well, you should be."

His grin disappeared suddenly, his gaze holding mine in grim determination as I felt him press the tip of the Kaiken against my abdomen. "And you should be afraid of what's going to happen next."

"I don't fear death." I told him sternly, even as my eyes filled with tears.

"Well, you should." He said, the muscles of his jaws shifting as he pushed the blade forward sharply.

The pain that shot through me as it cut into me, going straight into my stomach and other organs, left me breathless for a moment. We stood frozen, me and this evil copy of the other half of my soul, as he grinned cruelly, enjoying the taste of my pain. For a moment, I was reminded of the scene I'd stumbled upon in Deaton's clinic, of the katana through the werewolf's abdomen. He'd healed from that, easily. But then again, Scott had had a druid experienced in healing those of Scott's kind and a witch with healing magic on his side, paired together with his supernatural ability to heal quickly. All I currently had was a deranged fox and a now sobbing banshee.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked through the pain, looking into those familiar, amber eyes.

The Nogitsune grinned at me, twisting the Kaiken in my abdomen, cutting deeper. "Did you know that the blood of a witch makes even the simplest spells so much more powerful?" He asked me.

I frowned, recognizing what he was talking about. "Blood magic." I breathed, swallowing. "Why?"

"You know what this dagger is, don't try to pretend little Lani." He chuckled, pressing the blade higher and cutting into a few organs, making me gasp shakily. "When I use it to take control of the Oni, your blood will make them stronger than they already are."

I closed my eyes, jaw clenched tightly. "You won't win, no matter how strong they are." I said through the burning pain, my magic doing everything it could to stall my death. I opened my eyes again, meeting his gaze. "You're going to lose, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

The Nogitsune shook his head, grinning with sheer amusement. "Keep telling yourself that Lani, you won't be around to see your friends die." He told me, using his strength to drive the blade farther up. I cried out at the intense pain, my body shaking as Lydia screamed again. The Nogitsune chuckled, pulling the blade from my abdomen and letting my body fall. As soon as I made contact with the floor, several Oni appeared in the circular room.

The Nogitsune's grin widened as he held the blood soaked Kaiken with both hands, snapping it with ease. A wisp of blue light shinned before fading, and when I blinked, both the Oni and the Nogitsune were gone.

"Kaylani!" Lydia exclaimed, dropping to her knees at my side and turning me carefully onto my back. I cried out slightly, my hand pressing against my wound. My magic was slowing down the process of my death, giving me more time to attempt to heal myself, but I knew that this was it, my wounds were too severe to heal with magic or even a werewolf's advanced healing abilities. But, with ever last drop of strength I had, I was going to hold on.

"It's okay, I knew this was coming eventually." I told her, my entire body shaking. "But Stiles, I need to see Stiles."

"You can see Stiles when the bleeding stops and we can patch you up." Lydia told me, the fear on her face so clear.

I smiled through the pain, shaking my head. "He cut into vital organs Lydia, the only reason why I'm not already dead is because my magic is delaying it." I told her, letting out a shaking breath. "I just…I need Stiles."

She nodded, looking away from me. "Stiles!" She called. "Please, Stiles!"

I closed my eyes, knowing that if Stiles was near, he'd be able to respond. A far off call reached my ears, filling my heart with joy as I smiled solemnly, knowing he was coming.

A few minutes later, Stiles and Scott appeared in the room where I lay with Lydia kneeling next to me. Both froze, and when I opened my eyes to look at them, I smiled thinly. "Stiles." I breathed.

He was at my side quickly, pulling me into his arms carefully. "Lani, don't worry, we'll get you to a hospital, it's going to be okay." He said, his hand resting over mine, applying a bit more pressure to the bleeding wound.

I shook my head slowly, smiling up at him. "It's too late Stiles. The Nogitsune used the Kaiken and cut into vital organs. I should already be gone." I turned my eyes away from him, looking at Scott, who stood frozen in the entry to the room. "You need to go to the others Scott, they need you."

He frowned deeply, but nodded slowly. "Bye." He breathed before turning out of the room and racing back to the surface.

When my eyes turned back to Stiles, he was shaking his head, tears on his cheeks. "No, you can't go, not now. I was just starting to fall, we didn't have enough time together." He whispered, leaning down to press his lips against my forehead as he cried.

I closed my eyes, smiling sadly. "Stiles, we had just enough time." I said softly, listening to the heart beat in my ears, the rhythm slowing down slightly with each passing second. "I don't have much longer, my magic can only last so long."

"You said that we'd be reborn, until we finally became one self, one love. So I'll see you again, right?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

I nodded slowly, smiling up at him. "Yeah, but I don't want to see you for another sixty or so years Stiles. Don't let my death pull you back. Use this experience, this pain, and let it make you stronger."

He blinked rapidly, frowning at me. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to live forever Stiles, you just have to live." I told him, smiling softly. I closed my eyes, gasping slightly as the pain intensified. "This is it, I don't have that much time left." I looked at him again, frowning slightly. "I'll see you in the next life. I love you."

Stiles frowned, nodding slightly as he leaned down, kissing between my eyes. "I know."

"It's not for forever Stiles." I reminded him, starting to close my eyes slowly.

"I know." He repeated, his lips brushing against my skin as he spoke softly. "_Aisling milis_." He whispered.

I smiled softly as my eyes finally closed, letting the darkness consume me and erase the pain.

_Sweet dreams_.

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><p><span><strong>Epilogue<strong>

"Class, I'd like to introduce our new student from Reno, Nevada." The elder woman teaching a group of about 20 some teenagers history, spoke to said group. "She is a witch, so let's accept her like we've accepted our other special students. Everyone, say hello to Miss Kayla Makaiwi."

The young woman, her hair black and skin tanned, smiled at the group. "Hello." She said, her dark violet eyes flashing with excitement.

There was a chorus of 'hello's and 'hi's that greeted her, causing the young teen to smile wider. The teacher put a hand on Kayla's shoulder, smiling kindly at her. "You can take the seat next to Mister Sakowski." She said, pointing to an open desk next to a dark haired boy who was fiddling with his tablet pen.

Kayla crossed the room, setting her school-issued tablet on the desk and sat in the metallic chair. Glancing up, her violet eyes met bright amber ones and she smiled.

"Hi." She said softly, glancing nervously to the front of the class, but the teacher's back was to them. "I'm Kayla."

The boy's grin was quirky. "Hi." He said. "I'd tell you my name, but you probably won't be able to pronounce it."

Kayla ducked her head, biting back a giggle as she grinned. "What am I supposed to call you then?" She asked, looking into his eyes again.

"Well, everyone just calls me Stiles." He said, voice edged with nervousness, uncertain of how the new girl was going to respond to such a name.

She blinked. "Stiles?" She asked, her head tilting to the side slightly as she watched the nervousness spread over his entire face at her questioning. But she smiled widely at him, leaning over the aisle between them to whisper in his ear.

"I love it!"

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><p><strong>In the words of Aaron Howard, "It's death that makes life worth living for."<strong>

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><p><strong>Well, there it is, the finale of Just Enough Time. I told you, when I changed the title of this story to what it is now, that I would explain the title. Lani's last conversation with Stiles added context to why, but the words actually come from the song 'If I Die Young' by the Band Perry. It's probably one of the songs I'd select to be associated with this story, since it really has a lot to do with Lani's life in the past couple of months. I was tempted to cut this chapter in half when it started to get so long (the actual story part is nearly 7.5K words!), ending it around the point where Lani and Lydia get separated in the tunnels, but I knew you guys were really waiting for this chapter.<strong>

**The parts of this chapter were written out of order, so if the transitions from one part to another seem off, I apologize. I used the quotes where I did to sort of just tie in what some might call a deeper meaning to this story, heck, the entire way I wrote this chapter was different, but I like it. The line where Lani told Stiles that he doesn't have to live forever is actually adapted from a quote by Natalie Babbitt, an American writer and illustrator of children's books, and there's another quote I didn't use because the majority of it I didn't think fit, but the last little bit could be tied in somehow, I'm sure. "Only in death will we have our own names, since only in death are we no longer part of the effort. **_**In death, we become heroes**_**." –Chuck Palahnuik.**

**But yes, this is it. I've never been a fan of killing off a major character, but I found with this story that it worked so well, especially with the epilogue where future Stiles and future Kayla**ni** meet (no, that unbolding was not an editing mistake). That scene, the epilogue, by the way, is actually a reference to how Stiles and Lani met in chapter one, and probably how their past lives have met countless times before. And for anyone wondering why the teacher introduced Kayla as a witch, let's just say in this AU, the rest of the world eventually learns of the supernatural things that are out there, and accepts much of it, so witches, werewolves, and the like don't have to hide who or what they are. I can't say for sure when this epilogue takes place, year wise, so I tried to exclude as many details as I could that would mention anything time wise. I just thought that in 20+ years students would possibly use a tablet to take notes, instead of notebooks.**

**Leave a review if you think you cried more than I did! Joking, because I highly doubt you did, but still, I would love to see your thoughts on this chapter, and the story in general. I am changing this story to complete, now that I've finished it, and will start working on editing the chapters to go onto Wattpad. If you've followed this story and start getting updates, but there are no new chapters, it's because I'm exchanging the chapters with the edited ones, to fix things like grammatical errors and such.**

**Speaking of "new" chapters, this is where a review would be most beneficial. In the previous chapter, chapter 13, Lani tells Danny about letters she has written to the people most important to her (plus 2 others) hidden in a safe in her apartment. There are a total of 6 letters, and if you'd like, I am willing to write the letters and the scenes where the person they're written to get/react to them. It'll be as emotionally draining as this chapter itself was, but I'd like to see if you guys want to read them. I won't start this right away, since I want to focus on editing this story and working on Waiting for Batman, but I do want to see what you think.**

**Well, that's all I have to say. It was a great time working on this story, and each reaction and comment about this story has been amazing. I love each and every one of you who've reviewed, followed, favorite, and even those who simply just read and enjoyed this story to its fullest. For those of you who like my writing and the Stiles/OC genre of writing, and haven't already checked out my other fic, Waiting for Batman, please do. It's not one of those "starts season one, episode one" stories, but not nearly as dark as this one.**

**Oh, but before I really do go (I know, I know, longest Author's Note in existence, shhhh!) about a month or so from now I plan on posting a Derek/OC story. It's not one of the ones I've mentioned in the past, or has been seen on a strawpoll I used to have up, but I think you guys will like it! The first chapter starts during/after 'Night School' from season one, but the majority of the story takes place during season two and onwards, we still have to see how things develop. I'm waiting a month to post it so that I can focus on other things for a bit before I focus on it and Waiting for Batman at the same time. But yeah, keep an eye out for **_**The Wolf Doctor**_** ;)**

**Alright, that's it, I'm officially done! Goodnight, good-bye, I love you, my faithful readers, and I hope that you enjoyed this story enough to check out my other works. Ciao! **

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><p>"<strong>As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death." –Leonardo da Vinci<strong>


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